Miraculous Gabriel's Obsession
by Krazy Knight
Summary: After the end of season 3, Marinette works to come to terms with the consequences of her bad decisions and failures while Gabriel & Nathalie work on a plan to finally Akumatize the girl that keeps getting away. Chapter 10. The final judging is upon the contestants and being aired live, what could go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

**Gabriel's Obsession**

**Disclaimer: We all know by now how this works, I don't own the characters for Miraculous, I just write these stories because I love the show. Any character I create however is mine, all mine, muahahahahaaha.**

* * *

**PLAGG**

* * *

It wasn't that Plagg disliked Kagami, after all, she seemed like a nice enough person. It was just she was soooo boring. To Plagg, she had no entertainment value whatsoever, not like Marinette. Every cringe worthy moment she spent near Adrien brought Plagg endless hours of joy and merriment. Obviously he couldn't say anything to Adrien about it, but when he was alone, Plagg would often laugh to himself over what she'd done that day. Even the most painful moments to watch, like that time in the wax museum, was almost as good as aged Camembert. The truth, and Plagg would never admit it, was he was really found of Marinette. That fondness is what had him out stalking the streets alone. Adrien wouldn't understand, and Tikki wouldn't approve, but he felt he had to do something.

He'd look up the address using Adrien's phone and grinned evilly when he found the residence of André Glacier, the sweethearts ice cream maker. **_Sweethearts my furry black butt_**, Plagg thought. He couldn't believe a man claiming to know all about love, would put another person in the position he had put Marinette in. Sure it was partially Adrien and Kagami's fault, but he mostly blamed Andre. How could this supposed guru of love not see the desperation in Marinette's eyes, nor hear it in her tone of voice? The only thing she hadn't done was get down on her knees begging him not to make her choose a pairing. Worse yet, Adrien and Plagg had been there enough times to know that Andre usually used three scoops of ice cream, but somehow he'd been obsessed with only doing two with the trio of friends.

That was why Plagg stalked out Andre's residence. He wanted to get a little revenge for Marinette's sake. It would also bring him a certain amount of joy himself as well, after all he wasn't exactly known for his selflessness. When Plagg finally located the ice cream cart, he placed a paw on it and whispered "Cataclysm".

* * *

**TIKKI**

* * *

While Marinette was getting ready for school, Tikki had the television on so she could watch the morning news. Although Tikki preferred the Reporting Style of Nadja Chamack, it was morning so there was a different woman on location reporting the news.

"Tragedy struck last night when a small earthquake rocked Paris damaging one building." The reporter stated before the scene changed to a video of the damage. Since the reporter only mentioned one building and no lose of life, the kwami felt she was being a little too sensational with her description. Tikki still gasped when she saw it though because she recognized the damage.

"My cart, it destroyed my cart. What am I going to do for all the loving couples out there now?" André Glacier cried like a drama queen actress trying to win an award for best crying on screen. As she heard Marinette coming back to the room, Tikki quickly turned off the television. She wasn't sure if Marinette would also recognize the damage, but she really didn't want Plagg to get in any trouble for it. Besides, she could only think of one reason the cat kwami would do something like that, and Tikki actually approved though she'd never admit it to Plagg.

She'd been horrified at the choice Marinette had been forced to make. Why in the world would you look at a group of three friends and ask them to choose two of them like that? That was just about the most horrible thing one could do to a group of teenagers. Much like Plagg, Tikki understood that it wasn't just Andre's fault, but Adrien was pretty much oblivious about anything dealing with love, to the point of irritation, and Kagami didn't believe in the superstitions around the ice cream in the first place, so she didn't care.

It wasn't the first time Tikki wished she could be invisible to others, or had some kind of psychic link to her owner, but at that moment, well, she would have given just about anything for those abilities. In less time then it took Marinette to bumble out her answer, after practically begging Andre the Sweetheart Fraud to make something for the three of them together, the kwami came up with two solutions to that evilest of questions. The first solution was simple, friendship could be considered a form of love, thus picking the flavor for Marinette and Kagami could have been a way to seal their newfound friendship. The second one and what Tikki was surprised Marinette hadn't blurted out on her own was of "Give us one of each!" If she had and Andre had refused to comply, Tikki would have flow out there, secret identities be damned, and slapped his stupid nose right off his stupid face.

It took a lot to anger the ladybug kwami, but Andre had managed it. She didn't like seeing Marinette so heartbroken, especially with all the real tragedies that had happened in such a short time. Master Fu was gone, and Marinette blamed herself for it. All of the Miraculous holders she trusted had their identities revealed to Hawk Moth so she couldn't use them and especially the meeting with Cat Blanc. Every one of those hurt Marinette emotionally, and all of them combined, well Tikki had heard Marinette crying in her sleep on more then one occasion. She really didn't need the extra bit of personal hell from that love fraud Andre Glacier.

* * *

**GABRIEL**

* * *

It wasn't often that Gabriel Agreste second guessed himself, but he wondered if he'd done the right thing when he'd run away after the Guardian transferred ownership of the Miracle Box to Ladybug. He'd also couldn't help but wonder if he'd done the right thing, handing it over to the Bourgeois girl in the first place with all of the miraculouses still in it. Still, she had managed to out the identities of nearly every ally Ladybug and Cat Noir had. Since Ladybug had started to refuse using the Bourgeois girl because her identity was public, there was no way she'd use the others again knowing that he was aware of all their identities.

Even so, what had made the entire fiasco worth it, was Nathalie getting her hands on the Guardian's tablet and his notes from a Grimoire. He wished there had been pictures of the Guardian's Grimoire on the tablet. He would have liked to see what information it possessed. Was it the same as his, did it have information not found in his? The guardian's notes were also in a much easier to follow format then his own Grimoire was. Two items of importance to Gabriel had been, the recipes to power up kwamis, not that he was likely to use them on Nooroo since he rarely fought himself, and the way to heal a damaged Miraculous.

Healing was the best way to describe the process of repairing a broken miraculous. He needed to get ingredients to create a potion to soak the Peacock Miraculous in to give it the ability to heal. Depending on how long it took, he'd also need to freshen up the solution. With that in mind, Gabriel had decided on getting the ingredients he needed to both fix the damaged miraculous and make the power up potions, instead of sending out Akumas to try and get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses.

He held on to a slim hope that healing the Peacock Miraculous would also bring Emilie back, so he didn't want to risk dealing with them while gathering and mixing the ingredients. The problem he realized was what to do with it after it was healed. The damage had already been done to Nathalie. If healing the Miraculous didn't heal her as well, he did not want to give it back to her. He needed her to be able to become Catalyst again in the future. If that meant not having her become Mayura and give her time to rest, then he would give her that time and keep her away from the miraculous. He even went so far as to lock it in a secret safe in his lair that even Nathalie did not know about.

He'd told Nathalie that once he got the ultimate power from the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses, he'd make certain to heal her along with Emilie. Unfortunately when he looked through the Guardian's notes on the Grimoire it seemed unlikely that he'd be able to heal them both with the a single wish. Given the choice he would choose Emilie. If Nathalie had to be sacrificed to get his wife back, he would sacrifice her in a heartbeat.

* * *

**LADYBUG**

* * *

It had been four days since Marinette had taken Master Fu to meet with Marianne at the train station. Not that Master Fu had known Marianne was going to be there, or even whom she was. At least it seemed that either his tastes in women were intact, or possibly his feelings for her were still engrained in his heart. Fu had gone right to Marianne when he saw her and that warmed Marinette's own heart a little. Marinette knew she would take care of Master Fu and keep him safe, not that she expected Hawk Moth would go after him with his memories gone. When she thought about it though, she didn't know if Hawk Moth knew Master Fu no longer had any memories.

Since then, she'd been out patrolling as Ladybug in her free time. Using Patrol as a way to keep from thinking about what had happened. In just a few days, she'd stopped an out of control bus, a knife wielding woman bent on revenge against her boyfriend for breaking up with her, a suicide bomber, two purse snatchings, a bunch of kids bullying another kid and finally stopped a high speed car chase with the help of Cat Noir. Unfortunately for her, nothing seem to be happening on her most recent outing. It left her a little too much time to think, and the first thing that came to her mind, was the lack of Akumatizations. She couldn't remember the last time Hawk Moth had gone more then three days without sending out one of his butterflies and that knife woman would have been the perfect host for an akuma.

"Ladybug." She heard the voice of Cat Noir behind her. "How are you holding up?" He asked. **_Is it weird that I miss him greeting me by purring "M'lady"?_** She distracted herself from that thought with the consideration of his question. **_How am I holding up? _**In truth, not well, but she didn't feel like she could confide in him about it. He didn't know Master Fu as well as she had. He hadn't been the one being trained to be the next guardian and most importantly, he wasn't the one responsible for the loss of Master Fu.

"As well as can be expected." She replied with her voice remaining neutral. She wanted remain strong. No! She needed to be strong, that was part of what Master Fu had taught her. What it really came down to for her was because she wasn't allowed to tell Cat Noir who she was under that mask, she didn't feel she could truly confide in him about her troubled feelings. It would be too hard to explain it to him.

"If you need anyone to talk to, you can always talk to me." He stated. **_No, I really can't,_** she thought sadly.

"I appreciate that, Cat Noir." She replied maintaining her neutral tone. "I guess there is nothing left to do tonight. No attacks, no criminals, no need to patrol."

"In that case, good night Ladybug." He stated with a bow. **_Before, he would have tried to take my hand and kiss it,_** she noted. She would have thought he was being passive aggressive about losing Master Fu, but he'd actually stopped with the flirtation just before all that went down. She wasn't sure what had caused the change at the time. **_Did he finally get enough of being rejected by me?_**

"Good night Cat Noir." She replied and swung her yoyo. **_If he's not going to use flirtatious nicknames, neither will I._** . . **_Did I just think that?_** She asked herself as she swung away.

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

A few more days had passed and Marinette was trapped with her thoughts as she attempted to do her homework. Hawk Moth still hadn't set loose another Akuma on Paris, and she didn't for a moment believe it was because he was licking his wounds from the last battle. Maybe she was being a little too hard on herself, but the battle with Miracle Queen didn't feel much like a victory for the good guys even though Ladybug and Cat Noir won in the end. She'd made too many devastating mistakes. She'd lead Hawk Moth and Mayura straight to Master Fu all because she forgotten to undo her transformation. She'd sent Chloe into the arms of Hawk Moth since instead of going with her first instinct and taking the Bee Miraculous to fight Heart Hunter, she grabbed the Dragon Miraculous to separate Kagami from Adrien. The painful part of that decision was knowing she'd been the one who'd given them that push in the first place.

So many things had happened so quickly even before that: the sentimonster version of Ladybug, the confession of love to Adrien his cousin Felix erased and the most terrifying incident, jumping to the future and meeting Cat Blanc. Marinette felt such a heaviness in her heart whenever she thought about Cat Blanc. Thinking about him also made her think of Cat Noir, and right now how much it surprisingly pained her that he'd stopped being so flirtatious with her.

"Hi Sugar Cube!" Called out the voice of Plagg. Marinette and Tikki both turned to look in his direction.

"Plagg what are you doing here?" Marinette asked.

"Your owner isn't here is he? That could be dangerous." Tikki chided.

"Of course not." Plagg replied

"Don't tell me he lost his Miraculous again?" Marinette asked a little snidely. The idea of being able to be mad at Cat Noir right now selfishly appealed to her. It would keep away the rather uncomfortable train of thought that had been roaring through her head.

"No, he's on a date." Plagg remarked.

"That's more of a reason you shouldn't be here, you should be with him in case there is an akuma attack. This is irresponsible even for you." Tikki reprimanded.

"Oh please, he's close enough that it'll only take me a couple minutes to fly back to him. Besides being with him on a date is super boring and I'm hungry. If he'd at least slip me some food, I'd be okay, but he hasn't had an opportunity. I figured I'd come here. Do you have any fresh baked bread and Camembert cheese for me?" He asked pleadingly at Marinette. She'd missed the bulk of the exchange, her mind having practically shut down when Plagg mentioned Cat Noir was on a date.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Tikki asked a little concerned.

"Oh, um, me, yes, I'm fine." Marinette replied softly. "Let me get you a snack Plagg. What would you like?" She asked having not processed his earlier request.

"Fresh bread and Camembert." He repeated apparently oblivious to her state of mind. Marinette left the room. Before she passed out of earshot she just barely made out Tikki reprimanding Plagg for saying that Cat Noir was on a date. Marinette frowned. **_Why does Cat Noir being on a date bother me so much? Am I jealous? No, I don't think I am_**. She wondered as she entered the residential kitchen in their home. **_But why I am not happy about it either. Wait, is that why he started just calling me Ladybug instead of M Lady or Bugaboo?_**

She returned a few minutes later with a plate containing a slice from the last loaf of bread baked for the day and some Camembert. Plagg was lucky her father also enjoyed that stinkfest they called cheese otherwise she wouldn't have had it to give him.

"Here you go Plagg. Enjoy." Marinette said as she placed the plate on her desk for him to eat. She sighed, wanting to ask Plagg some questions but knowing that not only shouldn't she, but also she really didn't want the answers. Marinette watched Plagg finish his snack and it was a little surprised he stuck around for a while after, even with Tikki's berating him for leaving his partner. She found she rather enjoyed the kwami's company, and a good thing she did since Plagg stopped by a couple more times over the next few days to eat and visit. Marinette got the impression that he was mostly there to visit though she never asked him directly.

* * *

**ADRIEN**

* * *

"Where did you go?" Adrien asked the little kwami when he saw Plagg return. Plagg froze. Adrien had been alone on a bench in the park while Kagame had left temporarily in order to "powder her nose". After she'd left, Adrien had checked the hidden pocket inside the shirt he wore like a jacket only to find Plagg missing.

"I went to get a little food." The kwami replied matter of factly. "You weren't feeding me, and I got hungry."

"Please tell me you didn't steal anything." Adrien groaned.

"Of course not. Marinette willingly gave me food."

"What? Marinette? How does she know about you, she shouldn't know about kwami's at all." Adrien's stunned voice sounded out.

"Did you forget she was Multimouse?" Plagg asked. "I figure that opens up her as a source for fresh bread and my darling Camembert. Just because Cat Noir rejected her doesn't mean I should suffer without such a wonderful source of fresh bread and cheese." Adrien rubbed his hands down is face in irritation.

"Plagg, you can't just go visit Marinette whenever you're hungry. What if an akuma attacks?"

"I only do it when we're close to her house. Besides, she seemed happy for the company." He added. Adrien rolled his eyes and Plagg flew into his shirt just as Kagami came into sight. Even as he watched Kagami in her school uniform Adrien's thoughts ended up on Marinette and Plagg's comment about her being happy for his company. He tried not to frown; after all, he didn't want Kagami to see that and think it was because of her.

* * *

**ALYA**

* * *

It had been about two weeks AF (After Fu) when Alya and Nino ran into Adrien on their way to lunch period. He'd been looking over at Marinette sitting by herself, picking at her lunch. They would all be joining her once they had their own lunches, but she couldn't help but wonder why Adrien was so focused on Marinette.

"Do you guys think Marinette seems to be a little depressed lately?" He asked. Before Alya could say something in a smooth, non-committal fashion, Nino piped up.

"Yeah, my dude she totally does. Not that I blamer her, she's like totally heartbroken." Alya cringed. If she could have kicked or elbowed Nino secretly, she would have done so, HARD.

"Heartbroken? Really? Did Luka dump her?" Adrien asked. Alya turned away from Adrien, **_I just can't deal with this boy right now, _**she thought in irritation.

"No way dude, they were never dating." Nino replied. Alya glanced over her shoulder ever so slightly to see the look of surprise splashed over Adrien's face.

"Seriously? I thought for sure they were. I know Luka's written a couple of songs about her. I just assumed they were going out." Adrien remarked. Alya hadn't known about the songs, how did Adrien? **_He sits in the Kitty Section on occasion. He probably talks to Luka. They're probably friends_**. She realized. Every so often she forgot that her friends had lives outside of her own.

"No my man, she was in love with someone else." Nino spoke. Alya was getting ready to slap her boyfriend to get him to shut up about Marinette's failed love life, but then Adrien spoke again.

"That's too bad. Marinette's a great girl. Any guy would be lucky to have her as a girlfriend." Alya couldn't help herself. The words rushed from her mouth before she could stop them.

"Hypothetically speaking, if she'd confessed to you or say asked you out, would you have accepted it from her?" She regretted her words immediately because she knew Adrien would say that he only considered Marinette to be quote, just a friend and hearing him say that would just piss her off that much more. Alya knew it wouldn't be right to blame Adrien for it. Marinette had told her the story of how she'd ended up pushing Adrien and Kagami together. She turned to face Adrien when she realized he hadn't spoken yet and noticed how deep in thought he was.

"Marinette and I have been friends for almost a year now, at least I think we're friends." He started. "It would feel a little weird to go out with her I suppose, but you know, I'd been rejected by a girl I was in love with before, so don't think I'd want to put her through that, not unless I had a girlfriend already. It wouldn't be right to go on a date with someone if I was already dating someone."

"That totally makes sense." Nino replied just before Adrien continued.

"I guess when I think about it, you don't really know if a relationship with right until you try. If we're using Marinette as an example, she's kind, funny, she cares about others a lot and best of all she's a gamer. That alone would make her a pretty cool girlfriend. So yeah, I guess if Marinette had wanted to try going out, I would have accepted. Alya couldn't believe what she was hearing. **_All she had to do was ask, just once, actually ask and Marinette could have gone on a date with Adrien? AHHHHH, why did we do all those stupid and ridiculously complicated plans?_**

"Not that it matters, it's not like Marinette likes me all that much even if we are friends." Adrien added.

"What?" Alya's confusion was evident with her eyes so wide you could see the white all the way around her irises.

"It's obvious she doesn't really like me that much." Adrien repeated. "She always seems uncomfortable around me. I know she said she believed me about the gum when I first started, but maybe she really didn't and has never really forgiven me for it." Alya's mouth fell open, but Adrien hadn't noticed it. He looked back over towards Marinette. That gave Nino a chance to gently lift Alya's chin back up before a bug flew into her mouth. "You remember when we went to the wax museum together?"

"Yeah dude, it was nuts with the akuma attack." Nino stated.

"Well, that's when I realized how much Marinette didn't like being around me. You know when we were alone together, she just, well. . ." His voice trailed off. "Anyway, I thought maybe she didn't even consider me a friend, but we pranked each other and I guess it was the kind of things friends do, but yeah, I guess your hypothetical scenario is really a super hypothetical one." He gave a pathetic little chuckle. **_What the hell did Marinette do to Adrien at the wax museum? Oh my God, how could she have so thoroughly screwed that up? I can't even ask her without telling her about this conversation and the last thing she needs right now is knowing he would have gone out with her before he started dating Kagami._**

"That's rough dude." Nino remarked.

"I'm glad she became friends with Kagami though. I think that's the only reason she hung out with us when we were at the anniversary party for Chloe's parents, even if she hasn't wanted to hang out with us lately. Maybe she really doesn't consider us friends."

"No, she'd probably just feels awkward spending time with you and Kagami since you two just started dating." Alya suggested. "Marinette most likely wants to let you guys have your space to really get to know each other better."

"Yeah, that kind of makes sense." Adrien agreed. Alya wasn't sure if she should feel bad for Marinette or angry with her. She settled on feeling both towards her friend.

* * *

**CAT NOIR**

* * *

Cat Noir stood on a rooftop looking at the Tom and Sabine's Bakery. He thought about a few months earlier when he'd found Marinette on her roof and how they'd talked about their love life issues. She'd been a big help to him then, and he wanted to be a help to her now. He frowned a little as the memory of when she'd confessed to him on that very rooftop where she was standing now. He hadn't really noticed her looking to upset about their relationship not working out. From some of the books and manga he had, he figured she'd just had a little crush on him, probably just said "love" instead of "like" and that's why she got over it so easily, but what about the actually heartbreak as had mentioned? He'd noticed it days earlier and it didn't seem to be getting better. Adrien and Kagami had invited her hang out on the weekend. He'd hoped to cheer her up, but she declined the offer.

He felt a little like a stalker, watching Marinette the way he was, and Cat Noir decided it was time to go talk to her. He extended his pole and vaulted to her roof, and landing lightly. Not that he was trying to be sneaky, he'd done so in the open, allowing her to see him coming.

"Cat Noir, is there an akuma attack? Should I hide?" She asked looking around, but not in a panic, more like she was strangely excited.

"It's nothing like that Marinette." He replied. "I just came to apologize for my kwami taking advantage of your good nature." He'd been a little angry at Plagg for visiting her like he'd been doing, but it gave him the perfect excuse to show up at her home now to check up on her.

"That's fine." Marinette stated. "I don't mind Plagg's visits." Cat Noir was quiet a moment.

"You seemed a little sad to me." He spoke softly. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine." Marinette remarked unconvincingly.

"You helped me feel better when I was upset about Ladybug not taking me seriously. Please, let me help you now with whatever's bothering you." She huffed a little laugh and smiled at him.

"You're sweet Cat Noir, but I'm not sure I'm really ready to talk about it." She explained. "Although, can I ask you something?"

"Of course Pri, ah Marinette." He stated. He almost used the nickname he'd given her the first time he'd rescued her. She gave him a little side longed questioning look. It was obvious she'd noticed his slip of the tongue.

"Plagg had mentioned you were on a date when he visited." She was looking at him straight on but seemed to be avoiding eye contact. "Were you on a date with Ladybug?" He shook his head. "So you've found someone else then?" She followed up.

"I have." He stated, "At least we're seeing how compatible we actually are." He clarified.

"Can I ask you what caused you to be interested in Ladybug in the first place?"

"I thought she was crazy and fun actually." He remarked with a wistful grin. It seemed like an odd question for her to ask him and Marinette just sort of stared at him. "But it's not just that. Believe it or not, I could tell that she didn't want to be a superhero at first, which may have explained the crazy things she did and those things made her fun to be around. I think she even flirted back a little at first." Those last words were also spoken in a wistful manner.

"And that changed?"

"As she grew into the part." He nodded. "Even though she'd been uncomfortable at first she took it seriously. I think she forgot how to enjoy herself most of the time. Like when we fought Gamer for the second time. It wasn't until she started to enjoy herself that she was able to beat him. Lately though she acts like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. I wish I could help her, but she's been so distant."

"Do you think she's jealous that you have a girlfriend?" Marinette asked.

"I doubt she even knows." Cat Noir replied. "And even if she did, I don't think she'd care unless it interfered with our duties." Marinette turned away form him and leaned over the railing.

"Is the girlfriend the reason why you stopped calling Ladybug M'Lady or Bugaboo?" Before Cat Noir could question that comment, she added, "When you're on the news or a video on the Ladyblog, you've been calling her Ladybug. I don't think I'd ever seen an interview previously where you actually used her name." Cat Noir thought about it. She was probably right, until just before the Miracle Queen incident, he did tend to use terms of endearment with Ladybug instead of her name. Ladybug even noticed the change herself, he recalled. He'd made a joke about her being jealous then, but he didn't think she actually was.

"I guess so. I suppose I just don't feel right about using those flirty nicknames with her when I have someone else in my life." His voice remained pretty neutral even though a number of emotions swirled in his chest.

"That's very noble and chivalrous of you." Marinette commented but then added softly. "It's too bad I didn't really fall in love with you." She turned around quickly her face full of panic. "I mean, I don'tmeanit'snothowitsounded." She seemed to trip over her own words releasing a vomit of syllables.

"It's okay Marinette, I understand. It's just another of your awkward moments. Nothing to be embarrassed about." He smiled at her. "But, I do need to get going. Til our next counseling session, Marinette." He waved and used his staff to launch himself away from her. He heard her laugh a little and reply.

"Til then Kitten." He ran and jumped past six rooftops before stopping and leaning against a chimney.

"Why did my heart start pounding so fast?" He asked. He knew she wasn't in love with him, but for some reason her comment about wishing she was had gotten to him, and what was with her calling him "kitten" at the end?

* * *

**MARINETTE 2**

* * *

"Tikki, am I a horrible person?" She asked suddenly when she slipped back inside, startling the red and black kwami, who was eating a cookie. Tikki choked and coughed before spitting up wet crumbs onto the desk like a cat with a hairball.

"No of course not. Why?" She replied confused as if confusion had become a contagious disease.

"It's just that I think I'm jealous that Cat Noir has found someone else." She admitted. "I thought that I'd be happy if he did and stopped flirting with Ladybug because he'd found someone else, but now, I just feel sad." She explained, but in her thoughts added **_and a little lonely_**. Tikki flew over to Marinette and nuzzled her face affectionately.

"Are you going to do anything about it?"

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"Try to win him back? Act nasty to him when you work together? Sabotage his relationship? Suddenly lead him on?" The kwami asked.

"Of course not." Marinette replied. "Those would all be terrible things to do to him."

"Do you love him?" Tikki asked. Marinette went quiet a moment.

"No, I don't think so, but I am fond of him." She replied and frowned, "But you know he did ask me once if I wasn't in love already, if I would have fallen for him." She went quiet again.

"I remember, you told him no back then didn't you?" She nodded.

"I think I may have been lying to him when I said that. If Adrien hadn't been in the picture I think I might have been able to fall in love with him." She sighed miserably.

"Oh." The kwami said softly.

"But I'm not sure if I feel that way now because both he and Adrien are out of the picture. I don't want to be one of those girls who kept one of her friends on a short leash as a back-up just in case my first, second or third choice didn't work out."

Tikki laughed.

"You're not one of those girls." The kwami countered. "After all, you already said you weren't going to do any of those bad things." Marinette hugged Tikki. She felt a little better about herself even if it hadn't really helped her with the overall sadness.

* * *

**GABRIEL 2**

* * *

When Adrien started going to an actual school instead of continuing the home schooling Gabriel and Emilie had planned for their son's life, he'd had Nathalie look into everyone Adrien was likely come into contact with. She then created dossiers for each of them and their families. As Adrien's circle of "friends" expanded so did the dossiers. Nathalie was extremely thorough as she always was. She cross-referenced everyone and their relationships to each other. She even included the akumatizations for the ones that were publically known. Ever since the Miracle Queen had brought forth the individuals whom Ladybug gave miraculouses too, Gabriel spent extra time going over those dossiers. He'd been surprised by how many miraculous holders were connected to his son.

For the more sensitive information, Gabriel Agreste just kept a mental list, like the individuals akumatized whose identities weren't known to the public or more importantly who the before mentioned miraculous holders. He didn't want non-public information in any of the dossiers in case someone hacked his network and found them. It would be a little too easy to connect him to Hawk Moth.

To a certain extent, he hated giving Chloe Bourgeois credit for calling to all the Miraculous holders as Miracle Queen, but it had been a masterful plan on her part and revealed their identities. He had hoped that knowledge would lead him to discover Ladybug and Cat Noir's true identities.

Alya Cesaire who ran the Ladyblog, which Gabriel did in fact keep up with, was Rena Rouge, and had shown up for the first time during the Sapotis incident. Ella and Etta Césaire, her little sisters had been akumatized at that time. He realized those circumstances made her a prefect candidate to help Ladybug.

Chloe Bourgeois had been Queen Bee. She'd found a miraculous that Ladybug had somehow lost. What had been surprising is the number of times Ladybug had allowed the Bourgeois girl to use the Bee Miraculous and fight along side her. The girl also announced herself to the world, which ended up being her downfall as Ladybug became more concerned about him using that information to capture the Bee Miraculous. Ladybug had been right to be concerned after all, he did in fact have Mayura watching Chloe numerous times to do just that. He'd even specifically akumatized people he thought would cause Ladybug to need Queen Bee.

The third miraculous user was Carapace. He showed up during the Anansi incident. That had been Nora Cesaire, Alya Cesaire's older sister. She'd taken Alya hostage in order to protect her from akumas. The irony was not lost on Gabriel. Being that Nino Lahiffe, his son's self proclaimed "best bud", was also Alya Cesaire's boyfriend and had come when the miraculous uses were called but did not find a miraculous in the box, it was easy to conclude he'd been Carapace. After all the turtle miraculous was being used by the guardian at that time. Once more it had made sense why Ladybug had chosen him.

Those first three miraculous users were all Adrien's classmates in school. Gabriel found that to be too much of a coincidence except that they were all easily explained away. Like them when Ryuko made the scene, it seemed to be a choice of necessity and convenience for Ladybug but like the Bourgeois girl Kagami Tsurugi had not kept her identity quiet.

That left the last three. Viperion was in the band that Adrien occasionally sat in with, and it was mostly made up of his classmates. The boy Luka Couffaine had been there when Desperada had appeared and even helped Adrien escape from her. Again it seemed like another spur of the moment decision made out of convenience. It was too bad she hadn't chosen Adrien for the miraculous, that would have given him more of an opportunity to get his hands onit.

Max Kanté, the boy who had become Pegasus, first appeared during the Startrain incident, the akuma Hawk Moth had had no control of because of the distance. The woman who had become Startrian had been the Kante boy's mother. Once more, he seemed to be another miraculous user of convenience. Or maybe it was just Ladybug had a habit of seeking help from the family members or those close to the people akumatized . Gabriel would need to think of that prospect. It might be something he could use in the future.

King Monkey or Lê Chiến Kim was again one of Adrien's classmates and had been at the party that Adrien had thrown. Oh how Gabriel wished he could have busted his son for that party, but in order to do so he'd have to admit to being at home at the time. It still burned at him how close he came to losing Emilie with the power failure to her life support system. Setting his anger aside, the fascinating thing about the appearance of King Monkey was he showed up after Ladybug and Cat Noir had been captured. Neither Ladybug nor Cat Noir had even had a chance to hand out miraculouses to any of the users present in the fight against Party Crasher, meaning the guardian must have been there as well. The guardian must have given the Monkey Miraculous to the large oaf for whatever reason he had to do so. Perhaps he was the last of the intruders left after Party Crasher caught the rest. Gabriel frowned and opened up the file on Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Marinette had managed to avoid being akumatized twice, calming herself down enough so that his akuma couldn't possess her. In her file it mentioned that her mother, Sabine Cheng had been a martial artist in China and an award winning one at that. As he himself had studied a number of martial arts, he knew most had exercises for helping one to remain calm and focused and not give into your anger during a fight.

Even if Marinette did not practice marital arts in any kind of public capacity, it seemed likely her mother had trained her or at least she knew those techniques to calm herself down. None of that information was in the dossier since it was pure speculation on his part, but it helped to explain her ability to stop him from akumatizing her.

There was a mention in the dossier about her being "in love" with Adrien, at least as far a high school love went. He frowned. It was too bad Adrien did not reciprocate her feelings, not because Gabriel liked her, although he actually did. No, it was because he had planned to force whatever girl Adrien decided to get involved with to end their relationship and thus causing the girl such strong grief and heartbreak that he could akumatize her. He felt the strength Marinette could have had as that heartbroken akuma would have outclassed any other akuma he'd created, and more then enough to defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir once in for all.

Unfortunately Adrien ended up with the Tsurugi girl and because of the partnership Gabriel Brand has with the Tsurugi Group for distribution in the Asian market he couldn't very well disapprove of the Tsurugi girl. That meant, he couldn't force them to break up and worse yet, Tomoe Tsurugi had already started to push for a more personal connection between the families. He very much found that woman infuriating. Once he had Emilie back, he would make sure that woman was out of his life forever. Until then, he would play nice with her. Hopefully all would be settled before Adrien ended up having to marry the damn girl.

"If only Marinette's akumatization hadn't been interrupted." Gabriel spoke aloud.

"I am sorry, sir." Nathalie apologized from behind him. He did not say anything comforting such as, it's all right Nathalie, it's not your fault, because simply, it was mostly her fault. Her body's weakness came from her decision to use the Peacock Miraculous. Certainly he held some responsibility as well for allowing her to continue to use it. Still had she not taken it the first time, even if it was to save him, Gabriel was certain he would have found a way to escape the heroes and could have used her Catalyst powers again without her being so weak.

"I wonder if there would have been a way for me to have pushed him towards Marinette." He stated. "Her heartbreak over losing him would have been powerful." He smiled and frowned.

"Perhaps you could he the one to break her heart instead, sir." Nathalie suggested. Gabriel wheeled around ready to berate her for suggesting such a thing, but then he realized that there was no way Nathalie would. He was well aware of her feelings for him, and he knew that she would not allow anyone else, except for Emilie, to have a chance with him, let alone suggest a young teenage girl like Marinette.

"And what exactly do you have in mind?" He asked.

"We've been given an offer, one you wont like when you hear it, but it will give you the opportunity to not only akumatize Marinette Dupain-Cheng but a number of others as well." She stated. Gabriel looked at her.

"Go on, I'm listening."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**NOTES**:

* * *

I'm not sure how often I will be posting updates. When I started this, I was entirely sure what the plot was going to be, like the connecting parts of the chapters but it did come to me and I'm excited to write it. I hope you'll enjoy reading it.

Unlike my last story where I updated chapter descriptions in the summery, I don't think I'll do that this time.

So when I got to the point of talking about the Grimoire in the beginning of this story, I realized Gabriel should really be able to make the connection between the Guardian and Marinette. Perhaps not about her being Ladybug, although it would be a conclusion he could logically come to. After all, if the Tablet had the images of the Grimoire, Gabriel should have recognized them as his pages, and Marinette returned the book to him after Adrien lost it.

I hate the idea of making a character stupid just to push a story forward (I personally think that's one of the problems with the writing of the actual series to be honest), so I needed to figure out a way to not have Gabriel know it was actually his Grimoire, hence the translation being only text on that tablet.

I knew in the club I was part of in school, a girl who had a male friend and they'd grown close, close enough that he'd confessed his feelings to her. She'd told him she wasn't interested but wanted to remain friends. Aparently after his confession, she dated two different drug addicts (and I mean hard drugs, not like pot), one of them liked to mix and match his pills of choice and down them with hard liquor. The male friend then met another girl and started to spend time with her instead. The girl then got jealous and angry and tried to destroy the guy's life. She even admitted to being surprised by her own anger and jealousy. In the end, those of us who hung around her in the club slowly stopped hanging around with her at all.

The whole thing with Andre at the end of season three was infuriating. It's another of those things I can't help but consider bad storytelling. They had to change the way he created his ice cream treats just to make it work. Then I believe when you watch it, it still has three scoops on it. AHHHHHH!

It took me three tries to write Adrien's dialog about how he would have gone out with Marinette if asked and his reasoning for it. That was so much harder to do then I thought it would be.

**Deleted Scene**

_From the Rooftop near the bakery when Cat Noir was watching for Marinette. It's a funny bit but I realized it would work for the scene I was writing_

He extended his pole and started to pole-vault to her roof just as her skylight opened and she climbed out, distracting him and threw off his aim. He watched as her eyes opened wide with surprise as he flew towards her. Marinette dove out of the way as he went through the open skylight and crashed onto her bed.

"Cat Noir?" She asked as she glanced down at him. He was face planted into the giant stuffed cat pillow at the head of her bed with his butt sticking up. "Oh I wish I had my yard stick right now. You're an open target." She laughed a little. He righted himself and grinned.

"Did you enjoy the view?" He asked

**PEACE AND LOVE!**

_**Reviews and comments, even flames are greatly appreciated and helps to fuel the, you know I hate to use "creative" because I don't feel particularity creative, but okay, helps fuel the creative process.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Gabriel's Obsession **

**Chapter 2**

* * *

**HAWK MOTH**

* * *

While Nathalie was busy with the details of her plan to akumatize Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Hawk Moth decided it was time to attack the heroes again. He stood in his lair watching more then a hundred butterflies fluttering around him, a sight that generally thrilled him. However, if he was being honest, he was in a foul mood. The Peacock Miraculous had finished healing, but Emilie was still in her coma. Healing it had not awakened her as he'd hoped, even though he knew the chances were slim. Healing it hadn't even done anything to help Nathalie's condition although the doctor's assumed him with rest she should recover from what ailed her. Hawk Moth knew he would need her as Catalyst again as part of her plan, and so he kept the Peacock Miraculous locked away in his secret safe where Nathalie would not be able to access it.

He closed his eyes and felt the emotions around Paris searching for as strong of a negative emotion as he could find. He could sense a slight darkness in the emotions of Marinette, but he ignored them. As much as he wanted to make her his, he knew she'd easily push those emotions away as soon as she spotted the akuma. Even if she didn't, he'd seen the Bourgeois girl reject akumatization, and feared that Marinette would be able to do the same if her negative feelings weren't strong enough. He assumed she had a greater willpower then the Bourgeois girl.

Speaking of the Bourgeois girl, she was also having a rather dark set of emotions as well. He knew from Adrien that she had not been to school since her stint as Miracle Queen and he was aware from his own Miraculous that she was stewing in those dark emotions. He did not want to use her, at least not yet. She was obsessed with having the Bee Miraculous for herself and currently he could not offer it to her, although he was fairly certain she'd be more then happy to become akumatized again, to fight Ladybug to get it back. Much like Nathalie, he wanted to keep her back for a more important roll in the future. The Bourgeois girl could be helpful with Nathalie's plan among other things.

The Rossi girl was another person whom he tended to check on when he was searching for a person to posses when no strong surge of negativity was present. Since he'd been "employing" her as Gabriel Agreste to keep other girls from Adrien, and allowing him to akumatize them, she'd been in higher spirits, and doubly so when he started using her as the female face for his Gabriel Brand of fashion. She'd done her job very well and was surprising talented as far as modeling went. Vincent had been very happy working with her. Hawk Moth had honestly been expecting her to be a beast to work with considering her general attitude, but she apparently took direction extremely well. It had been a pleasant surprise and even more pleasant was the ad campaign with her had taken off or as the kids put it, "Gone Viral". **_If she keeps it up, I may need to start calling her by her first name,_** he mused. Still, even if she wasn't in a bad mood, he knew she would allow herself to be akumatized if he sent a butterfly to her. Unfortunately, it could reflect badly on his brand if one of the faces for it was akumatized regularly, so that left her out. He'd still use her if he absolutely needed it.

He considered giving up, but he was itching for a fight thanks to his wife's condition not changing. He didn't even care if the akuma lost; he just wanted the fight. Finally he found it, the emotion of someone who'd just lost another match, a fencing match. He grinned a little. The anger was directed at the Tsurugi girl.

"This should be fun." Hawk Moth stated as a butterfly flew to his outstretched hand. He cupped his other hand over it. "Lets give this loser a chance to be a winner my little akuma, and best of all, if he takes care of the Tsurugi girl, I won't have to deal with that woman's insistence that we need a more familial connection. So go off my little akuma and evilize him!"

* * *

**VENGEANCE BLADE**

* * *

Nicholas Demure sat on the bench, his eyes narrowed at Kagami as she went against Adrien Agreste. In a fencing club where more then eighty percent of the students could qualify for an Olympic team, there was nearly no end to the line of strong opponents and Nicholas was use to that. He certainly wasn't among the best nor was he among the worst in class. He was in fact a better then the average member; so losing for him was not normally a big deal. The problem he had was the attitude of certain members of the club when they won. For example, when Adrien won, he would thank his opponents for the match and even show them how they could improve in their techniques. He was a great and helpful winner. Nicholas had in fact found himself greatly improved thanks to Adrien's after match advice.

Kagami on the other hand was a terrible winner. She had a tendency to "hmph" at her defeated opponents, as if they had been a waste of her time. She walked around as if she was better then everyone else, and not just at fencing. She had such a superior attitude about her that Nicholas wasn't surprised when he heard that Kagami didn't have any friends. Perhaps she would have more if she acted a little more like a human being and less like a stuck up bitch. Oh how he wished he could beat her just once. That would really put her in her place. Of course she was also known to be a sore winner too, but he'd take that chance. Ladybug and Cat Noir had stopped her twice after she'd been akumatized, they could stop her a third time if it came to that.

Nichols stood up and started to walk to the rest room to get away from everyone. As he went to open the door, he saw a glowing purple butterfly head towards him. **_Wait, is that an akuma? Is Hawk Moth about to akumatize me?_** He thought to himself, however he spoke something else.

"Help!" He called getting everyone's attention just as it landed on his foil. He didn't want to be akumatized himself, but once it landed and the strange glow went around his face, suddenly he was fine with the idea. In fact, it was the most wonderful idea ever.

"Nicholas, you need to fight it." He heard Adrien call to him.

"Vengeance Blade, I am Hawk Moth. You're so very tired of having someone act all high and mighty simply because they are a little better at fencing then you are. I will give you the power to counter every one of her attacks so that you can defeat her. All I ask in return is the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

"Yes Hawk Moth, it will be my pleasure." Nicholas stated as a purple, ooze-like cloud formed around him, transforming him. Once it cleared up, He stood there, his fencing uniform changed into a dark green armor with spike along the edges. His skin took on a burgundy hue, with his eyes a reptilian yellow including elongated pupils. He slipped the matching helm over his head and turned to Kagami, his once foil, now a bladed rapier. "It's time we had a rematch." He stated at he pointed his rapier at her.

"Kagami, I think you should get out of here." Adrien stated concerned. Kagami turned to face Vengeance Blade and held her foil up.

"Adrien, a Tsurugi does not back down from a challenge." She stated and rushed Vengeance Blade.

"It's not about a challenge it's about not escalating. . ." Adrien stopped talking as Kagami and Vengeance Blade clashed together.

* * *

**KAGAMI**

* * *

"Adrien, a Tsurugi does not back down from a challenge." She heard a little of what Adrien said behind her but ignored it. This akuma challenged her to a duel and she was going to accept it. She was the best, even better then Adrien although Adrien did give her a challenge. He was also the only person she ever lost too, and that DID NOT include the time Marinette screwed up the call. She'd obviously won that time too. That being said, Kagami had no doubt in her mind that she could beat this akuma. Had she not been chosen by Ladybug to wield the Dragon Miraculous twice? She was strong, she was fast, she was fierce, and she was not getting past Vengeance Blade's defenses. **_NANI?_** She thought distressed enough that her mind went to her native tongue. **_How is he blocking my every attack?_**

"Well this looks like almost as much fun as playing with a big ball of yarn." Came the voice of Cat Noir as he landed on the upper railing of the open yard of the school where they practicing. "I hope you don't mind if I join in?" He asked.

"Stay out of this!" Vengeance Blade and Kagami both yelled at him. The pair actually stopped a moment and stared at each other before resuming their match, no, battle would be a better term for it. It was definitely more of a battle. Until she either won or lost Kagami did not want any interference; not from Cat Noir, not from Ladybug and not even from Adrien. At least the later had the sense to stay out of her way. She charged again for another attack. Once more she was blocked.

"I'll teach you what it really means to lose." Vengeance Blade taunted. Kagami rolled her eyes and looked for an opening as their blades continued to come together. She might not have been making any progress with Vengeance Blade's defense, but he wasn't getting past her either. They seemed to be evenly matched.

"Cat Noir, what are you doing?" Kagami heard the voice of Ladybug ask. She didn't risk a glance in that direction. She did not want to give her opponent any kind of opening.

* * *

**LADYBUG**

* * *

Marinette had not planned on watching the fencing team, not since she'd given up on Adrien, even though she was still considering joining if she qualified the next opening. No, she was just going to go home and sulk in her room with Tikki and eat a ridiculous amount of caramel corn. Ice cream would have been her first choice, but it was ice cream that had been the final nail in the coffin of her fantasy relationship with Adrien, and she wasn't in the mood for it. It had taken a lot out of her to get one when she was spending time with Luka and the others. If he hadn't wanted one, she wouldn't have gotten it. With her luck being what it had been recently, she'd ended up staying at school late because of her class president duties. It was when she was on her way out Marinette heard the commotion and saw Kagami fighting with an akuma. She rushed to transform into Ladybug to put an end to the villain.

"Cat Noir, what are you doing?" She asked stunned to see him just watching the match.

"She asked that I not interfere with her challenge." He stated with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Yes Ladybug, if you have any respect for me you will allow me to continue this match." Kagami stated without slowing. "Once I defeat him, you can undo his akumatization."

"That's not how this works." Ladybug remarked. **_What is wrong with her?_** She wondered. In truth she really wanted to trounce the akuma. She'd been waiting for a fight for a while now. She knew violence wasn't a solution to her problem, her parents had taught her that, but still, she felt like she needed to little violent release. **_Maybe I should go to one of those places that lets you break stuff? _**Cat Noir leaned over to her to whisper.

"So far, he's fighting her based on the actual rules of tournament fencing. I think if she wins, he'll likely just give up and we won't have a problem releasing the akuma." Ladybug nodded. His idea was actually reasonable, even if she really want to beat on the akuma. "Plus we get to see how he fights, so if she loses, we'll be able to better counter him." Actually she was a little concerned that his idea had so much merit. She felt that it was a bad omen.

"They are really evenly matched, is that Adrien Agreste fighting her?" Ladybug asked suddenly. Based on the fighting it would make sense, but Adrien was better then Kagami so he wouldn't need to be akumatized to win.

"Naw, it's some other student. I saw Adrien when he was looking for, well us to take care of the akuma." Cat Noir explained. Ladybug was glad Adrien wasn't the akuma but she did wonder how Kagami would have reacted if he had been. Would she have been able to fight him now that they were a couple? Ladybug glanced around and noticed that Mr. D'Argencourt and most of the club were watching the match intently. **_I wonder who they are hoping wins? I'm sure more then a few of them would like to see Kagami lose. I've watched her enough to know she comes off as a bitch when she wins. I wish she would change that attitude. It's probably part of the reason she has trouble making friends. _**Immediately after thinking it, Ladybug felt guilty. She was one of Kagami's only friends and she'd been recently avoiding the girl herself. **_I bet Kagami's been lonely lately. _**

It appeared as if Kagami was starting to have a harder time parrying the attacks from Vengeance Blade. The akuma likely gave him more stamina then Kagami had and she seemed to be tiring. Finally Vengeance Blade made it through her defense and his rapier went all the way through her shoulder. As he pulled up and back, blood sprayed from both ends of the wound. Kagami made the cutest little anime like squeal of pain, a sound Ladybug would never have thought possible from Kagami's mouth.

"Point mine." Vengeance Blade exclaimed and stepped back. Kagami's foil was loose in her hand as her other one clapped itself over the wound in the front, not that it did anything to help the spurting blood from the back. Ladybug wondered if there was an artery up there that he'd hit with all the blood that seemed to be hemorrhaging from the wounds.

"Cat Noir!" She yelled and the pair jumped from their perches just as Vengeance Blade started in for another attack. "Someone call an ambulance!" She added even as Mr. D'Argencourt rushed to Kagami's side. He'd taken off his fencing jacket and wrapped it around her shoulder. Cat Noir landed in front of Vengeance Blade and used his staff to deflect the next thrust. Ladybug landed behind the akuma and saw the instructor lay Kagami down on the floor, while he kept pressure on her wound. It looked as if someone was on the phone hopefully calling emergency, however she noted one of the girls in the club appeared to just be recording the entire incident.

As Cat Noir went in for an attack of his own, Ladybug swung her yoyo at Vengeance Blade. He managed to parry Cat Noir's thrust spin and slap her yoyo away with the flat of his blade. He turned back towards Cat Noir. Ladybug looked at the pool of blood around Kagami. It suddenly hit her that if they didn't defeat this akuma quickly Kagami could die.

"Lucky Charm!" She called and tossed her yoyo up in the air. When it came down, she found a yellow card and a red card. Her focus landed on the red card, then Cat Noir's hand and finally the rapier. She raised the card up so Cat Noir could see it and wit her other hand made a fist and opened it, mimicking the way he did for his cataclysm. "Ref calls a series foul!" She yelled causing Vengeance Blade to jump slightly. Cat Noir stepped back and towards the side as his opponent turned to look at Ladybug.

"What?" He growled.

"I'm giving you a red card and disqualifying you from the match. You committed a grave foul by not only causing serious injury to your opponent, but then continuing on without the signal from the ref or regard for her safety." Behind him She watched Cat Noir's mouth move as he whispered the word to activate his cataclysm.

"But, but." He stammered and was distracted enough that he didn't see Cat Noir walk over to him on the side where his rapier was.

"Sorry man, but it was a good match at least up until that point." And then Cat Noir placed his glowing hand on the blade. It disintegrated along with the Akuma form of Nicholas. As the butterfly flew out, Ladybug caught it with her yoyo.

"No more evil doing for you little Akuma." She stated as she pulled it back and opened the yoyo. The pure white butterfly flew away. Rather then give her usually statement of goodbye though she tossed the cards up into the air. Just as Paramedics entered and rushed towards Kagami's prone form, she yelled. "Miraculous Ladybug!" The cloud of ladybugs flew over Kagami and the blood under her disappeared. The gril groaned. The hole in her fencing uniform seemed to have been fixed and her wound healed, although she looked more pale then her usual paleness.

"We never should have let that go on." Ladybug stated.

"It's okay Ladybug, she's fine." Cat Noir replied.

"It's not fine." Her voice was full of anger, and she was just managing to keep it under a volume that would be considered yelling. "What if we hadn't defeated him in time? What if my Ladybugs couldn't heal her? She could have lost use of her arm!" That time Ladybug did yell.

"It is not your fault Ladybug. I let my pride get in the way of my common sense." Kagami stated a little weakly. "It was my own fault I was injured." Ladybug turned to her words lost on her lips. Kagami looked like she was still weak, and only being held up thanks to the paramedics.

"Kagami." She started but the girl raised her hand.

"It. Is. Not. Your. Fault." Kagami stated again and even stomped her foot down to punctuate her statement even as her head began to loll as if she were about to pass out.

"We need to take her to the hospital to get her checked out." One of the paramedics stated concerned." Ladybug nodded and watched as they put Kagami into the ambulance. She then swung her yoyo to slingshot herself out of the open yard of the school without another word. She was halfway home before the beeping of her miraculous forced her to transform back, and she did so in a narrow passage between a couple of buildings. She'd left her backpack at school but didn't care, instead with her back to the wall of the building she slid down until her knees were up by her chest and started crying.

* * *

**TIKKI**

* * *

"Marinette?" Tikki asked cautiously. "What's wrong?" The little kwami was concerned about her owner. She'd never seen Marinette break down like this.

"Kagami, Kagami could still die." She blubbered. "I thought the ladybugs fixed everything, but she still looked like she might not make it." Tikki thought it was a little bit of an exaggeration on Marinette's part. Kagami had been able to speak and move on her own, but she actually did look aweful and ready to pass out.

"The ladybugs can fix many things, even most wounds, but not everything living can be fixed perfectly." Tikki explained. She'd never really gone over any of it with Marinette before. She preferred when her owners tried to stop evil acts before it escalated to injuries. A previous owner of the Ladybug Miraculous didn't worry about people getting injured since her power was able to mostly fix them. Obviously Marinette would not be like that, but Tiki still hadn't explained that part. "They may have cleaned up the blood, but they must not have been able to put it back in Kagami."

"When we, when we, "Her voice hitched, "in the future after Cat Blanc and destroyed everything, would they have brought the people who'd been killed back to life?" Tikki chewed on her lip a little, a rare thing for the kwami to do, but she was nervous about answering Marinette.

"No. The Ladybug Miraculous is about creation, not life. Anyone who lost their life would not regain it." She explained.

"That's what I thought." Marinette stood up. "I'll have to make sure no one gets hurt again ever again." Her voice was strong, but in a way that worried Tikki.

"Um, Marinette, people will get hurt, it happens. You just need to do you best."

"My best wasn't good enough. I allowed that match to go on and Kagami was hurt because of it. I couldn't fully fix what happened to her. That's my fault. I can't just do my best anymore, I have to do better then my best."

"It wasn't your fault she couldn't be fixed Marinette. It's just a limitation to the power." Unfortunately Marinette had stopped listening.

* * *

**ADRIEN**

* * *

He had been torn between wanting to chase after Ladybug as Cat Noir or going with Kagami in the ambulance. In the end, Adrien decided to go with Kagami, since it appeared the ladybugs had fixed the wound itself but Kagami still didn't look like she'd fully recovered. He wanted to be able explain what had happened since there was no trace of the wound on her. They'd never had to deal with a life threatening injury before so neither he nor Ladybug had known what would happen. Not only that, but her reaction to the whole thing had been rather extreme. Adrien had seen how upset Ladybug was over everything that had happened recently, but he'd thought for sure if it got too bad, she'd confide in him. Apparently he'd thought wrong.

He watched as the paramedics gave her some fluids to help with her blood pressure as it had dropped. He described the wound that had transpired to the best of his ability on route to the hospital. There he had to stay in the waiting area while they looked her over, presumably with the information he'd given the paramedics. He was finally called back to discuss it in person with the doctor, who concluded that she was suffering from acute blood loss. Kagami was given a transfusion. Since she had no wounds to be treated, they planned to watch her for a couple of hours and then release her.

Tomoe Tsurugi did make an appearance at the hospital before Kagami's release. Adrien left her to speak with her daughter, but stayed within earshot where he could also watch.

"How could you allow yourself to be injured in a duel?" Her mother asked. Kagami looked up at her mother.

"I am sorry mother. The duel had gone on for longer then expected. I tired during it and he slipped through my defenses." Kagami apologized her voice sounded weak to Adrien'd ears.

"Do not be sorry, be better." Her mother chided. "I did not raise you to lose. You should have won no matter how tired you were."

"Yes mother." Adrien knew his relationship with his father had been a strict one compared to most of his friends, but Kagami may have been the only one to have it worse then him. At least his father hugged him when Style Queen had nearly killed him. Tomoe didn't seem to be in the mood to even comfort her daughter.

"It's not her fault, the akuma's power was perfect defense. There was no way she could have broken it. The only reason Ladybug and Cat Noir beat him, was Ladybug stopped the match with a red card, and Cat Noir casually touched the blade with his cataclysm." Adrien interrupted as he reentered the area. Tomoe turned towards him giving him an uneasy feeling that she was looking at him even though she was blind.

"You do not start a fight you can't win." She stated coldly. Kagami sat up and in a voice filled with barely contained anger asked her mother a simple question.

"And what about Tsurugi's never back down from a challenge." Adrien watched the expression on Tomoe flicker to a moment of surprise at what Adrien suspected she considered her daughter's defiance. She didn't say anything. She only turned and left.

"Thank you Adrien." Kagami said softly before collapsing back onto the bed, but she had a rare full smile on her lips.

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

Chloe Bourgeois stood in front of Le Grande Paris with her father, the Mayor, standing just behind and off to one side. Surprisingly, her mother, Audrey, also know as the Style Queen, and not just as her akumatized form, was positioned the same as her husband but on the opposite side. Before her was a podium with a number of microphones from various news agencies.

"Good Morning, as you all know, I am Chloe Bourgeois. My mother is the queen of the fashion industry, Audrey Bourgeois and my father the Mayor of our lovely city, Andre Bourgeois. But you also know me by another name, the superhero Queen Bee. Many of you saw how I have helped to fight against the evil Hawk Moth alongside of Ladybug and Cat Noir. I have also unfortunately been akumatized a number of times as well, the most recent while I teamed up with Ladybug, Cat Noir and Ryuko against the Heart Hunter.

"However, I was so angry at Hawk Moth for what he'd done to my parents, that I was unable to avoid being possessed by an akuma myself and ended up fighting against my teammates once more as Queen Wasp. This last possession by the akuma has left me with what is being referred to as Post Traumatic Akumatization Syndrome or PTAS. It has forced me to miss a number of days of school although I am hopeful to be able to return after the grand vacation. PTAS has obviously had a very negative effect on my life.

"I know others have been through the same thing, so my parents and I have decided to open up a support group for those who have been similarly affected. Along with that, after a talk with Ladybug, I have decided the best course of action is to recuse myself from my duties as Queen Bee until I have come to terms with my PTAS. More importantly however, is learning to control my anger so I will never again be forced to fight against the citizens and heroes of the city I love.

"I know many have considered me to be an attention seeker, and I cannot argue against that. I became a super hero for very selfish reasons, but my time as Queen Bee has shown me what being a hero really means. I hope to once more become a hero that Paris can be proud of and I want you to know that I have not made this decision lightly, but that I make this decision for the love I have for my fellow Parisians." Chloe wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"I love you all." She finished her speech, her shoulders hitching slightly as if she was holding back even more tears. Her parents both came forward and wrapped their arms around their daughter and hugged her. The trio then walked into the hotel out of the camera's range.

"There you go Clarisse, it looks like you got the attention you wanted and even I am trending now as well." Audrey stated as she walked away like she had not a care in the world while studying her phone.

"I'm very proud of you my sweet Chloe. You have shown a level of responsibility that I didn't know you had." Andre remarked.

"Thank you daddy." She got up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before heading to her room. Once there she went to her private safe and opened it, pulling out a generic looking flip phone. She typed in the words. – **I did it **– before hitting the send button. A reply came a few moments later.

– **I saw. Very good Chloe Bourgeois. Soon you will become Paris's sweetheart daughter and be loved by all.** –

– **I better be and you better be able to give me what I want afterwards** – She replied.

– **Don't worry, you will get everything you deserve.** – The reply came. Chloe frowned. She didn't like the way that sounded, but then he always sounded ominous didn't he.

* * *

**ALYA**

* * *

"Why that conniving, manipulative, evil bitch!" Alya exclaimed. She had just stood up from her seat at the table in Max Kante's apartment. Since Claudie Kante, his mother, was in America going through her astronaut training, his home had been the perfect place for a very special small group of people to meet. Sitting around the table were Max of course, Nino Lahiffe, Le Chien Kim or just Kim and Luka Couffaine. After the incident with the Miracle Queen, they had all been together when the timers on their miraculouses ran out. Because Ladybug and Cat Noir had been in a hurry to get up to the roof where Hawk Moth had been, they hadn't taken the miraculouses away from any of them or scattered them, leaving the group together to witness their detransformations.

Luka, Nino and Kagami had not detransformed with the others since none of them had a miraculous on them at the time, but it didn't take a genus like Max to realize why they were altogether at that point anyway. Kagami had also been invited to join them, but she'd turned down the invitation on multiple occasions.

"Whoa Alya that seems a little harsh doesn't you think?" Kim remarked. Max had turned on the small TV in the kitchen when an alert about the press conference had appeared on his phone. They were all wondering what Chloe had to say. "In fact, shouldn't she be here in this group too?"

"No she shouldn't. She's the reason we had to give up our miraculouses." Alya countered.

"Was she the one who had that signal up on the roof like she was trying to be Batman?" Luka asked as he strummed his guitar. He'd been adding a little musical background to every part of the conversation thus far, always getting just the right sound for the intensity of the voices.

"Can you blame her, Batman is awesome." Kim said.

"I can concur with that observation." Max added. "If you give me three minutes I can even scientifically prove not only that Batman is awesome but just how awesome he is."

"I don't need you to tell me Batman is awesome!" Alya shouted annoyed.

"I would also hypothesize that you do that want to know that it appears Chloe is trending on all social media platforms." Max added.

"Of course she's trending, she's a beautiful blonde white girl going on TV about how she was forced to be a villain again, and trying to make up for it.

"That sounded a little racist my dudette." Nino commented. If looks could kill, Nino would have at the very least have been in a great deal of pain.

"I bet she would have loved to hear you admit she was beautiful." Kim added. Alya took a deep breath trying to calm herself down.

"We have all be akumatized, some of us multiple times. We all understand what it is like to be forced to work for Hawk Moth." Max stated.

"CHLOE WASN'T FORCED!" She screamed at them before surprise overcame her features and she slapped her hands over her mouth. The rest of them all stared at her.

"Oh, dude, what do you mean she wasn't forced?" Nino asked more seriously then she'd ever really heard him. Alya closed her eyes.

"I wasn't suppose to tell anyone about this, Ladybug swore me to secrecy. She didn't want this to get out. I guess she's still hoping Chloe can change."

"Well, it's too late not to tell use." Luka stated as he played the theme from "Sherlock". "You've already given us a bit of a mystery."

"When she came to retrieve my miraculous after dealing with whatever had happened on that rooftop, and warned me that Hawk Moth knew who I was, I stopped her from leaving and asked her some more questions. She told me Hawk Moth had gotten his hand on the miraculouses, somehow having found the person who guarded them. Hawk Moth not Ladybug gave the Bee Miraculous to Chloe. She believes that Chloe volunteered to be akumatized after that." Everyone in the room went silent, even Luka's perpetually strumming fingers had stopped. Alya felt a little bad about spilling most of what Ladybug had confided in her to the group, since it was things she planned on keeping to herself, including knowing that Ladybug blamed herself for Chloe joining with Hawk Moth. Because Ladybug seemed so upset over what had occurred, Alya hadn't mentioned that the miraculous users had all seen each other change back. Ladybug thought they'd all separated after they'd been released from Miracle Queen's control.

"That explains why our Miraculouses showed up when we fought Party Crasher." Luka commented and watched as Nino motioned for him to stop talking. Before Alya could ask him about Party Crasher, he quickly asked. "Does that mean Chloe knows who we all are too?" Alya just shrugged finally managing to calm down.

"I guess that means we shouldn't invite her then." Kim stated and the others nodded. No one else spoke for a while after that. Whether it was because they were all still processing what she'd told them, or she'd just plain killed the mood of the group, she wasn't sure, but Alya figured it was time to call it a day. Kim stopped to speak to Max and Alya wondered what about, so she listened in as she stood by the door.

"Hey, can I see your science on the whole Batman being awesome thing?"

"Of course, I'll even show you my methods." Max replied. Alya smiled faintly at that. It was so like Max and Kim.

* * *

**GABRIEL**

* * *

Gabriel Agreste turned off his monitor after the news conference the Bourgeois girl held. He heard a slight vibration from his locked desk drawer. When he opened it, he pulled out a flip phone and saw the message – **I did it**. – He smiled. Nathalie had her plan and as much as he hated the idea of it, he was certain it would work. It would be playing a long game, but he'd done that before. However he did have his own long game plan in the works as well.

– **I saw. Very good Chloe Bourgeois. Soon you will become Paris's sweetheart daughter and be loved by all.** – He typed back.

– **I better be and you better be able to give me what I want afterwards** – He saw her reply and laughed.

– **Don't worry, you will get everything you deserve.** – He responded with a malicious grin on his face.

"I'll make sure you do." He laughed. He'd gotten the two burner phones specifically for dealing with her. He'd had hers delivered with a little note that had nothing but the picture of a butterfly on it. Almost as soon as she'd gotten it, she'd sent a message. She'd understood exactly whom the phone was from. He started to coach the Bourgeois girl to make her the sweetheart of Paris so that if Natalie's plan failed, he could use Chloe to upset the entire city.

Gabriel froze. He sensed a strong negative emotion. He focused on it and felt the familiarity of the source. It was his Lady Wifi, or more importantly, Rena Rouge. He smiled and rushed to lift that would take him to his lair, but before he could transform, the feeling subsided.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed. With all his planning, he hadn't anticipated anyone being angry about Bourgeois girl's announcement. Even knowing that Ladybug would stop, or try to stop, using her miraculous team because he knew who they were, it hadn't even occurred to him that one of them would be angry about it, or that they would blame the Bourgeois girl. He mentally kicked himself for having missed such a wonderful opportunity.

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

It had been a couple of days since Kagami had been released from the hospital. She'd only been kept a few hours until the physicians were certain she did not need any additional medical attention. Marinette had heard about it from Alya, who'd heard about it from Nino, who heard about it from Adrien. Since she hadn't been present, as herself, at the time, she'd had no way to ask about Kagami to either Adrien or Kagami herself. It had been frustrating to say the least. Marinette was extremely glad that Kagami suffered no permanent effects from the injury. If it ever occurred to her that she could have used the story on Alya's Ladyblog as an excuse to ask, she would have kicked herself in the ass though.

"Marinette, you have some visitors." She heard her poppa call out to her.

"I wonder who it is?" She sighed. "Tikki, you don't think Adrien and Kagami would stop by do you?"

"Just because you've been avoiding them?" The kwami remarked with just a hint of sarcasm. Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. That is exactly what she'd thought. As it turned out, it was not Kagami, Adrien or any of her friends for that matter. It was Nathalie Sancoeur along with a man and woman she didn't know.

"Good evening Marinette." Nathalie stated. Marinette looked her over. Apparently her confusion must have been apparent because Nathalie asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Oh yes, sorry, I was just surprised to see you without a tablet in your hands." Marinette explained. She watched as Nathalie's lips threatened to curl into a smile. The woman tapped down the smile pretty quickly though, putting on a more serious expression

"Although I am here in an official capacity for the Gabriel Brand, I am not here for Mr. Agreste. You see Marinette, you have been selected as a candidate for a reality TV program that Mr. Agreste has agreed to do." Nathalie began to explain. The man and woman who accompanied her took Marinette's parents aside to speak with them separately from Marinette, pulling out papers from the attaché cases they carried. Marinette watched them walk off.

"Gabriel Agreste is doing a reality show? He hates being in the spotlight. Isn't that why he always has you carrying around that tablet?" Marinette also remembered the incident with a certain akumatized hypnotist that almost ended with Gabriel Agreste's death from jumping off a building.

"That is true, he does hate being in the public, and we are still working out all of the details, but Mr. Agreste is unlikely to actually be in person during filming, instead he will be on a screen when he talks to the contestants, and on the tablet when inspecting things up close." Marinette thought about that for a few moments.

"Does this have to do with fashion?" She felt stupid asking the question since what else would Gabriel Agreste do for a reality show.

"Yes. I have selected a number of candidates for the show after looking at their designs online. They all have websites similar to yours in fact. When your website came up in my search I knew you should bepart of this, since you won the bowler hat contest."

"Oh." She replied her mind racing at the possibilities, especially the potential for the losers to be akumatized.

"Mr. Agreste is looking to take on an intern this fall. This contest will be his way of picking said intern."

"So If I win, I'll be an intern with Gabriel Brand?" She asked hardly containing her excitement. Gabriel Agreste was still her favorite fashion designer, aside from herself of course. Maybe even including herself if she were being truly honest about it.

"Not just an intern, but Mr. Agreste's direct intern. He wishes to be a mentor to the next generation's, well him." Nathalie explained. "So you wont have to worry about running around and getting coffee for anyone on staff, well except maybe Mr. Agreste." Nathalie joked in such a flat, serious manner.

"Okay, but I not only go to school with Adrien, but I'm friends with him too. Isn't that going to be a conflict of interest? Isn't it possible he'll go easy on me because of that?" She asked and to her shock, Nathalie let out such a strong belly laugh. Marinette started to freak out watching as Nathalie nearly collapsed to the ground from laughing so hard. After nearly three minutes with her hands on her knees, holding herself up Nathalie finally regained control of herself. Marinette rarely ever saw Nathalie smile, especially with their limited interaction let alone laugh and to see her laugh like this, she felt like she just witnessed a real live unicorn jumping over a two story sized chocolate cake farting a rainbow that hamsters were running on.

"Oh my dear Marinette," Nathalie's voice was broken by her gasping for breath after laughing. "You'll be lucky if Mr. Agreste even remembers you from the contest and show your hat was in. I had to remind him of your name no less then four times that day."

Marinette felt disappointed to hear that, especially with how he'd talked her up to Audrey Bourgeois at the time.

"Where will this take place?" She hadn't gone with Audrey since it would have meant leaving Paris, so location was of grave concern to her. She was Ladybug and Ladybug was needed in Paris.

"Here in Paris. We are currently retrofitting the inside of an unused Warehouse for the studio and housing of the contestants. And before you ask, it will take place over the Grand Vacation, as the other contestants are all university students and Mr. Agreste does not want this contest to negatively affect anyone's education." Nathalie continued to explain in as much detail as she was allowed the competition while Marinette listened.

"How much time do I have to think about it?" Marinette asked.

"We can give you one week. After that, we will start speaking with our backup contestant list. If you do accept you will still have three weeks to get your affairs in order so that you can spend your vacation with us."

"I'm a little shy. Will there be camera's everywhere?" She asked.

"Mostly. Of course we will not have any in the toilet and shower areas, and there will be a couple of places where the contestants will be able to be camera free for a while, otherwise there will be camera's in the sleeping areas, work areas, and elsewhere. Also in case you were wondering, there will be money supplied to you for every week you remain on the show and it will go up per week. If we do not have the materials on hand that you wish to use, we will help you acquire them. Mr. Agreste does not want anyone's creativity stifled by lack of materials, only by lack of time and lack of imagination. He is looking for the best of the best after all. Someone truly worthy of his talents."

"I'll need time to think about it and discuss with my parents." Marinette replied at last.

"I assumed you would. The two representatives from the studio have given them a similar pitch as I gave to you so they'll be well informed on the same aspects as you have been. I do hope you will join us." Nathalie finished just as Marinette's parents and the studio reps came back into the room. She noticed both her parents seemed excited, very excited. However, the ones she really needed to discuss it with were Tikki and Wayzz.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**NOTES**

* * *

So when I was thinking about this story and how to proceed, the idea of the reality program came to my mind, and I was like, that would be perfect and should be easy.

Dear God was I wrong about that. Just trying to put together the logistics of this contest have been a nightmare. Everything I think of leads to problems and conflicts in writing. Trying to figure out how much time they have for projects, where they work on them, how many projects per episode, how they can be insulated from elimination and so forth. AHHHHHHHHHHHH! I don't know if the next chapter will have the actual start of the competition or if it'll be the one after it, but I feel like I'm in crunch time here for it and I hope it turns out well.

BTW, I saw the images of the Playmates Miraculous toys and I'm excited. Hopefully they will have wide release unlike the Bandai ones did.

**PEACE AND LOVE!**

And remember Reviews are fuel for the soul and my soul needs as much fuel as it can get. Let me know what you think of the story thus far while I continue to panic on how to set up the logistics of the contest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Gabriel's Obsession**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

The first challenge was to occur before the official taping of the show started, and it was for the contestants to find two amateur models, one to represent male and one to represent female for the designs. The reason it was to occur before the show, was to give the models time to make their own arrangements for availability. Unlike the actual designers, they would not be forced to stay in the housing set up on the taping location, instead they would be put up in a hotel. In fact the show had already rented out a section of La Grand Paris Hotel just for the models. Their rooms were also fitted with cameras to capture the interactions between them. The models could also stay with the designer overnights if they were needed. That is how Marinette found herself outside the Couffaine houseboat with a cameraman and studio rep in tow.

In the end, she'd reluctantly decided to join the contest. Her parents have obviously wanted her to do it. It really was a great opportunity and they made sure to mention that she'd already given up one once in a lifetime opportunity already. In the end, it was Wayzz who'd convinced her however. She kept his miraculous with her, even if she didn't wear it because he was the closest thing she had to an advisor now that Master Fu was gone.

"Master Fu wanted you to be able to live your own life as well Marinette." The turtle kwami had stated. "It is why he gave you the Horse Miraculous when you had the school trip. It is why he would tell you the same thing that I will tell you now. Take this chance. Paris needs its Ladybug, but Ladybug needs her life as well." Marinette had thanked Wayzz, and agreed to participate in the contest.

"Hi, Juleka, can we talk?" She asked when she boarded the boat and knocked on the door. She would rather have just called, but the producers of the show wanted to capture the reactions that occurred whenever they could.

"Ah, sure Marinette but why didn't you. . ." Her words stopped as she froze seeing the camera.

"I'll explain all of this." Marinette added with a sickly smile. Juleka invited everyone inside where Luka could be heard practicing his guitar. He stopped as soon as he heard Marinette's voice and joined them.

"So, I need to find a couple of models for a television contest I've been selected to participate in." She started. Juleka's shyness reared its ugly face as she listened. "And since you've model for me before I was hoping you'd be willing too model for this. You don't have to if you're not comfortable with the idea of being on television." Marinette added the last part when she saw the panic in Juleka's eyes. **_It had taken so much for Juleka to model for the still photos. I shouldn't have asked her. She's not going to do it, and it's going to upset her if she doesn't. _**Juleka glanced over at Luka who gave her a smile and a nod. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I would be honored to be your model for this, if you think it'll be okay. I would hate for anything to go wrong because of me." Her voice got softer as she spoke and Marinette had to strain to hear it

"I think you'll be great!" Marinette exclaimed before hugging her tightly. "Now all I need is to get a boy to model for me." She noticed Juleka about to speak and quickly added, "I can only use amateur models, no professionals."

"Marinette." Luka practically sang as he walked towards her. "Remember when I said I would be there for you, whether you needed emotional support or anything else? I want you to always be able to count on me." He'd slipped his finger under her chin and lifted her face slightly to look her in the eyes. Marinette could feel the heat in her checks knowing it was causing her to blush. She started to speak but her words came out a soft croak with how dry her mouth had suddenly become.

"Luka." She finally managed in a hoarse sounding whisper.

"I'll take that as a yes." He stated with a charming smile leaning in a little closer as if he was about to kiss her. Marinette felt like her head was going to explode and pulled away from him.

"Tha, thank you Luka." She stammered. Luka looked a little disappointed. Marinette knew he was going to kiss her. That he had wanted to kiss her, and she, had she wanted to kiss him? **_Why are my feelings so screwed up?_** She screamed in her own head. She noticed the cameraman gave the studio rep a thumbs up and realized her moment with Luka had been captured fully on camera. It made her want to vanish from existence.

While Marinette tried to recover, the studio rep took Juleka, Luka and their mother aside to go over the details and non-disclosure agreements. At least she'd been able to get the hardest part done. She was positive that Juleka could handle modeling for her, and Luka, well Luka could handle anything that was thrown at him. She sighed softly. **_I wonder if I should have let Luka kiss me? Do I want Luka to kiss me? Do I want to kiss Luka? Oh God why is this so difficult? _**

* * *

**NATHALIE**

* * *

Nathalie Sancoeur like many women who tended to dress in business attire had a little secret underneath her "suit of armor", one that made her feel confident, powerful and dominant. That secret was the sensual lingerie she wore. No one ever saw what she had under her Gabriel Brand pantsuit, but she knew what was there. The silk and lace demi-bra that would leave nothing to the imagination when exposed, the matching thong and the garter belt with it's stays stretched down to the tops of her silken, lace topped thigh highs. The feeling of those stays when they pulled taught as she sat and crossed her legs shooting a feeling of empowerment to her soul, simply because only she knew she was wearing them. Even when she wasn't in her business attire, whether it was a skirt, dress, pants or even shorts in many cases, she tended towards having her sensual secret upon her flesh.

Even though she wore Gabriel Brand clothing, since as his personal assistance, she was a representative of the company, Gabriel had never actually fitted her. Certainly she'd been fitted in the boutiques, but never by Gabriel, so when he told her he would be specifically designing the outfits for her to wear while she performed her duties as his surrogate on the show she'd put together, Nathalie found herself ridiculously excited. Gabriel had informed her of his need to take her measurements for his designs, and she had decided that she would wear her favorite and most sensual of power lingerie for him. For so long she'd wanted him to see her as not only as his assistant and confident, but as a woman and possible lover. Now she felt like she had her chance. She'd slipped on the purple and black, silk and lace, sensual and sexy apparel. It was the one she would put on when she felt down and look at herself in the full-length mirror in her apartment and give herself power talks. Yes, that set was the set she wore for Gabriel, as he took her measurements.

"Please step out of your shoes." He requested. As she stood before him in her higher then normal heels and power lingerie, it had a different effect on her then it usually did. Being exposed in it in front of the man she loved removed her more dominant nature, instead making her feel submissive, more willing to do whatever he wished.

"Yes Mr. Agreste." She spoke softly, afraid her voice would betray her excitement as she slipped her feet from the far from practical heels she wore just for the occasion. She shivered a little as her silken coated feet touched the cold tile of Gabriel's office. For some reason the cold on her feet to nothing to snap her out of her near trance like state, instead it just caused more excitement to pulse through her body. He pulled out his measuring tape as he knelt to one knee to begin her measuring. She had the strangest thought of him proposing to her in that position, causing her heart to beat faster. He was a professional, the very model of professionalism as he took her measurements, as he was anytime he took them for the models he used. Even when Emilie would model for him, there was no inappropriate contact between the pair. The problem was, Nathalie wanted that inappropriate contact, no not want, she craved it. Her heart pounded faster in her ears.

"Please remove your bra." Gabriel would not do it himself, again avoiding any chance for skin-to-skin contact between them. She reached behind her back with one hand to release the hooks as the other went in front to hold herself in place, showing a little modesty, or maybe just to keep her bra from fluttering to the ground. Gabriel waited for her to finish and held out his hand to take it from her. After she handed it to him, he set it on the desk and she closed her eyes. She wanted him to be more forceful with his requests, she realized. She wanted him to stop being so professional; she wanted him to touch her, to fondle her. If he suddenly slipped a dog collar around her neck and told her to get on her hands and knees and bark like a dog for him, she would have done so without hesitation. The intensity of her excitement clouded her mind.

As Gabriel slipped his arms around her to measure her chest, Nathalie had an almost over powering urge to wrap her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, but she hadn't lost total control of herself, at least not yet. As she felt the cool plastic of the tape measure across her back, her heart sped up even more, the pounding hurting her ears. There was no way he could avoid touching her this time and yet, somehow he did. Disappointment flooded her being as he took a step back and turned away from her. She closed her eyes, willing him to come back, to throw away his control, to take her, but he didn't.

"You may use the private bathroom to clean yourself up before getting dressed." Gabriel said as he left them room. At his words Nathalie came back to her senses, which had sharpened enough for her to realize just how obvious her arousal over her fantasies had been. The heat of her own embarrassment not only caused her knees to buckle until she collapsed upon them, but also drove her over the edge she hadn't realized she'd been at.

* * *

**GABRIEL**

* * *

Gabriel shut the door behind him, leaving Nathalie alone in his office. **_She has the same problem Emilie had, _**he thought a little wistfully as he held up the clipboard holding the paper he made his notes on. Nathalie's measurements were written next to the corresponding parts of a female figure drawn upon it and towards the bottom, he made a note – **Supply extra absorbent feminine hygiene products for the fittings**. – He looked up and paused in though before added to the note – **Odor control?** –

The truth was, as much as he loathed the idea of doing the reality program, he found himself excited by certain aspects of it. The main one being, he too would be designing fashions to go with the weekly themes. It had been a long time since he'd given himself any sort of fashion challenge. He felt a little reinvigorated by the prospect. It may even lead to his best fashion line ever. He may have been designing outfits specifically for Nathalie, but there was no reason for him not to make a consumer version to sell in his boutiques. With the promise of akumatizing Marinette Dupain-Cheng and a fashion line, this reality TV series was becoming very much a win/win for him. Gabriel smiled as he started sketching out his designs.

* * *

**JULEKA**

* * *

Jukela was both excited and terrified about the near future. She was going to be a model for Marinette, but not just for the website Alya had designed for Marinette's fashions, but for a television audience, and live television audience in most cases. She'd wanted to break out of her shyness shell and now it was happening in a big way. Thank God for Luka agreeing to do it as well. He was a great support to her and now he was going to be there with her. If he wasn't her brother and she didn't already love someone, she would have kissed him full on the lips, not that he'd like that anyway. She smiled softly to herself. He was infatuated with Marinette in a way she'd never seen him with a girl before. Certainly he'd had a few girlfriends, but he'd never been particularly concerned about them.

He was always a gentleman, he cared about those he dated, but he didn't care about dating them. It was hard to really explain when she thought about it. It was like he dated for the fun of it, she supposed. Marinette was the first girl he'd been interested in that he actually perused. Maybe that was part of it? The other girls he'd gone out with practically threw themselves at him, but Marinette didn't. She'd been too obsessed over Adrien to really give consideration to Luka, and now Adrien was off the table, maybe Marinette would consider her brother.

She loved Marinette as one loved a friend, but she wondered if Marinette would be good for Luka. She wasn't exactly the poster girl for healthy relationship pursuits. Sure it was fun trying to help her scheme to get together with Adrien, and if she had to admit, it was hilarious to watch her fail, at least until it just became sad how often she failed. The problem was; would Marinette be a good match for her brother? She honestly didn't think so. Juleka shook her head. She was not a bro-con and she felt like she was starting to think that way a little too much.

"Are you okay, Juleka?" She heard Rose ask. She blinked having not realized that Rose was already there for band practice

"I'm fine." She replied softly brushing her hair away from her eye. She wanted to tell Rose about modeling for the the show, but the NDA did not allow her to speak of it until after it had started, and not about specifics before episodes aired, so she couldn't. Rose was great support, but also a bit of a ditz so there was a chance Rose could spill something if she told her. Obviously it wouldn't be on purpose, but Rose was a bit accident prone like that. "I was just thinking about what might happen if Luka and Marinette went out." She explained. It was true after all and also would keep her from talking about the show.

"Oh, yeah, I guess now that Adrien is dating Kagami, there won't be any more crazy plans to get him to ask her out huh?" Juleka nodded. "That's too bad, I really enjoyed some of those plans, at least the ones that weren't too complicated and didn't use codenames." Juleka chuckled at that. She sometimes had to wonder if Rose also secretly got a little bit of joy out of Marinette failing. She honestly never understood why Marinette didn't just come out and tell Adrien how she felt. **_Scratch that,_** as she looked at Rose, **_I understand perfectly why she didn't._**

"Oh, I almost forgot." Rose added bouncing on her feet. "Prince Ali, is supposed to be coming back for a short visit during our vacation. I told him all about our band, and he's hoping we can play for him. He'll even hire us to play at one of the events he's hosting." She squealed in joy. Juleka smiled at her friend's happiness. **_Yeah, I guess I can understand why Marinette couldn't bring herself to say anything. What she really wanted was to get Adrien to ask her out, that's why she did those things, so she wouldn't have to worry about being actually being rejected if she'd been the one to ask. _**She glanced over at Rose's smile as her friend practically danced around because her real live prince wanted to watch her band play. **_Yea, I totally get it. _**She sighed softly.

* * *

**KAGAMI**

* * *

Just because she'd been in the hospital suffering from blood loss was no reason for Kagami to slack on her sword training, both fencing and kendo. At least according to her mother. That's how Kagami found herself once again being personally trained by Tomoe Tsurugi. It's not that Kagami disliked being trained by her mother, much like Adrien with his father, she wanted to spend more time with her mother. It's just she wanted to spend more time with her as her daughter and not as her student.

"Again!" Tomoe called out when Kagami had stopped swinging her boken. Kagami sighed and started again. She was tired and bored. She'd already been doing the same swing for over an hour. Something about the events since the citywide Friendship Day had Kagami less inclined to just do as her mother wanted. She'd made a friend, she'd fought villain as a hero and yet her mother still treated her like, well, like a child. She'd even started dating Adrien Agreste, which was something her mother had been pushing for as well. Granted that was one thing she very much wanted herself and before her mother had started pushing it. Kagami was honestly a little ashamed of having developed such a cliché anime style crush on him after she'd been akumatized and they had their second match. That crush eventually developed into respect and love for him.

Truthfully she also felt a tiny bit guilty about her relationship with him since she'd become friends with Marinette. She knew damn good and well that Marinette had also been crushing on Adrien. Hell, she even treated it much like a competition early on, not that it was much of one. The whole reason she only felt a tiny bit guilty was because Marinette never had the courage to actually tell Adrien how she felt. Not only that, but Marinette had basically given Kagami the go ahead to make Adrien hers. It had taken her a few days to realize that. When Marinette had chosen the flavor that matched Kagami and Adrien, Kagami thought nothing about it. She didn't believe in such superstitious nonsense, but Marinette had. Not only that, but Marinette had left her alone with Adrien almost immediately afterwards.

"If you do not focus, you will have to cancel your date with Adrien-san today." Tomoe stated in her angry teacher voice.

"Yes, sensei." Kagami replied without thinking. She caught her mother twitch a little. Kagami was fairly certain it was not a happy twitch, after all Kagami had never called her sensei before. Her mother had never required her to do so when she taught. Kagami wondered if that was a sign that her relationship with her mother was breaking down. It probably was. She would have expected that the events after her mother's akumatization would have made them grow closer, but they had not. If anything she felt like they'd grown apart. That could be related to her having made a friend, and gotten a boyfriend. Her mother had been livid with her for running off with Adrien and Marinette during the Bourgeois anniversary celebration. Kagami shook her head and concentrated on her swings. She would not lose out on her date with Adrien over such distractions.

"Good Kagami. It seems you're finally putting your heart into it." Tomoe commented. For a moment and just a moment Kagami imagined aiming her boken at her mother's heart. It brought a slightly evil smile to her lovely features.

* * *

**ADRIEN**

* * *

Adrien waited outside the, compound might have been the best word for it, that the Tsurugi Group used. He had only been inside the grounds once before and only with Tomoe Tsurugi's express permission. He and Kagami officially planned to see a symphony concert and have a nice dinner. In reality though, they'd made plans to get some food from Tom and Sabine's bakery for a picnic and enjoy a movie. Adrien's bodyguard, known simply as "the Gorilla", would be driving them around. Since he never spoke, Adrien wasn't worried about him saying anything to his father, unlike Nathalie.

Adrien liked Nathalie overall and even considered her to be family, but she'd busted him too many times recently tand he just didn't trust her as much as he used to. He was thankful that she hadn't been sent as a chaperon recently as she often was when he went out. Apparently she and her father were working on some huge project related to Gabriel Brand fashions. Adrien first thought it was a new ad campaign but he'd also been given more time off recently so he was certain it wasn't that. He knew that Lila was irritated though since she'd just become the face for the young women's line of clothing and suddenly wasn't needed. As her "friend" he was upset for her, as a superhero who knew how deceitful she was, he was a little happy about it.

"Ah Adrien, you're here already." Kagami called as the gate opened to let her out. Since they were just going to the bakery and a movie, He'd dressed in his usual casual wear, but Kagami had not. She'd put on a white sun dress with a sweetheart neckline that had straps off to the side of the cups, leading behind her neck, with a ruffled skirt that looked as if it would billow out around her if she spun. She had light tan straw hat with a white cloth band that circled the brim atop her head and a pair of strappy white leather sandals with a mid-height, flare heel. She took his breath away.

Kagami caught up with him and as she came in for a kiss, he shifted so he could kiss at her right cheek and then switched again to kiss at the left. Kagami pulled back and frowned. She spoke fluent French and had lived in the country for at least a year, but he guessed she still wasn't use to the faire la bise greeting. Really thinking about it made he think of when Marinette and Chloe had done so at Chloe's party and he chuckled a little to which he noted Kagami gave him a dirty look.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I just though about something funny from a little while ago."

"Oh?" She asked with a cant to her head. Her hair moved slightly allowing him to note it had a slightly damp appearance to it. **_I wonder if she just got out of the shower? I wonder if she takes a shower or a bath? Do they have a one of those large bathtubs like you see in anime?_** "Adrien, are you all right?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. No it's just a few months ago Chloe had thrown a party and invited everyone from class. She was trying to be more friendly with everyone and apologize for something nasty she did."

"That is surprising. Chloe Bourgeois does not strike me as one who apologizes for much, though owes many of them."

"Yeah, she can be that way. I know most people don't know her as well as I do, since I grew up with her, but she can be nice." He added. **_Although she did go full blown off the dead end as Miracle Queen, _**he thought sadly. Even Adrien didn't think she could be redeemed after that. "But I just remember when Chloe greeted Marinette this way at the party and the two of them started spitting like they had some kind of horrible taste in their mouths." He laughed and Kagami grinned.

"Yes, I can see kissing Chloe leaving a terrible taste in one's mouth."

"But not Marinette?" He asked jokingly.

"No, I think kissing Marinette could be a pleasant experience." Adrien coughed a moment surprised and Kagami laughed. "Oh, don't worry you and I are talking about two different types of kisses." She added.

"Oh okay." Adrien motioned for her to go into the car ahead of him, then froze. "Wait, I'm talking about a friendly greeting, what are you talking about?" He asked. Kagami just gave him a sweet as sugar smile. **_When Kagami really smiles, it's beautiful. It's too bad when she fakes a smile it's absolutely horrifying. Wait don't let that distract you, she's talking about kissing Marinette._**

"Shall we head over to the bakery?" She asked ash she slipped to the far side of the backseat of the car with a little wink.

* * *

**MARINETTE 2**

* * *

When Marinette headed back home, she noticed the car in front of the bakery. Well more specifically she noticed the gorilla like man standing next to the car in front of the bakery. She quickly ducked out of sight but positioned herself where she could see the entrance. She knew it could possibly be Nathalie coming with more information on the show she'd joined, but likewise, it could also be Adrien. She felt bad that she was avoiding him as much as she was, but Marinette was having more trouble dealing with her feelings then she would have expected. It had been a clean break for her after all right? Adrien had no idea how she really felt about him. She'd clearly pushed Kagami towards the relationship they now had, and yet, she couldn't stop thinking about him. At least when she wasn't thinking about how she'd so badly screwed everything up as Ladybug.

She stayed in position and watched hoping that whomever it was would leave soon. If it turned out to be Nathalie, she could apologize later. It didn't take long before she saw a girl in a white sundress step out of the bakery's door followed by Adrien with a bag of goods he'd obviously picked up. She leaned forward to get a better look. It was Kagami in the sundress, and she looked absolutely stunning. Marinette had never seen her outside of her school or fencing uniforms before. She lifted her jaw, which had dropped when she came to that realization and watched as the Gorilla held the back door of the car open and directed the pair inside. Marinette stayed where she was for five minutes after they'd left.

"Oh Marinette honey, you just missed Adrien and Kagami." Sabine chimed when Marinette entered.

"Oh, that's too bad." She remarked trying to sound as natural as possible.

"They wanted to invite you to a picnic they were having. You should call them, I'm sure it's not too late to catch them."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Marinette remarked.

"How could it not be dear?"

"I don't know how much Adrien knows about the show his father," She used father because Adrien always referred to him as that and "dad" or "poppa" didn't seem fitting for Gabriel Agreste. "is putting on. If he doesn't know and I let it slip I could be breaking the NDA. If he does know and I accidently mention I'm on it, he might say something to his father and influence him." She didn't honestly think any of that would happen but it was a reasonable excuse and one she could use until she moved to the contestant housing.

"I can see your point." Sabine replied. "I guess you'll be spending a lot of time avoiding your friends until the show starts." Marinette nodded in response.

"I still have some things to get ready for the move." Marinette said before heading up to her room. Once there she set down the bag of art supplies she'd purchased on her desk and climbed up to her bed. She crawled to her large cat shaped body pillow and lifted the head to access the seam under it. Hidden in that seam was a zipper that allowed her to open the head and retrieved the now egg shaped Miraculous box. She opened it and pulled out the Horse Miraculous. Kaalki popped out and offered a greeting.

"Good afternoon Master Marinette."

"Good afternoon Kaalki." Marinette replied as she slipped the glasses on and went back down the ladder to her worktable.

"Have you found a new owner for me?" The horse kwami asked. "Someone famous such as Jagged Stone?"

"No, I'm sorry Kaalki I haven't. I haven't found anyone for any of the other kwamis yet." Marinette replied sadly as she set the glasses on the table and used a rule to start measuring them. Kaalki looked on in interest.

"Then may I ask what you are doing?" She asked as Tikki joined them at the desk.

"While I'm staying in the contestant housing, I want to have you with me in case of an emergency." She explained. "But Hawk Moth knows what your miraculous looks like so I want to make your Miraculous look totally different." She explained as she pulled out a sheet of dark tinting.

"You're turning them into sunglasses?" Kaalki asked excitedly. "Make sure they are very classy looking celebrity shades." Marinette laughed and continued to work on them. She started to sketch out a few patterns on paper using the measurements she'd taken. Once she'd decided on the one she liked the best, she cut it out to trace on a sheet of heat malleable plastic, the same kind cosplayers liked to use when making armor and weapons. She went to her crafting supplies and equipment to pull out a heat-gun and started to work and shape the plastic around the Horse Miraculous.

It took her a few hours, but she finished her project. Instead of the Horse Miraculous being a set of wire framed glasses, they were now white plastic framed sunglasses with the same pattern of her favorite shirt etched and filled with paint for color.

"Those turned out really nice." Kaalki stated.

"Yes Marinette, you did a wonderful job." Tikki agreed.

"I guess we just need to see how well they work." Marinette added with a smile before putting them on and calling out the transformation phase. Even with her additional parts for a disguise, Marinette was able to transform.

* * *

**HORSE MIRACULOUS USER**

* * *

She'd just wanted to test out the powers, to make sure they would work even with having covered pretty much the entire surface of the glasses. That was it. She'd transformed and she'd made a portal. It was simple, really simple right? **WRONG!** She'd made the portal and saw a child, a little boy run after a ball into the street. Naturally there was a bus was rushing towards him. Without thinking she'd just jumped through the portal, grabbed the boy and rolled to safety. Unfortunately for her, the portal had closed behind her so she couldn't just jump back through.

Had that been it, it still wouldn't have been a problem, but that hadn't been it. There had been another hero nearby who'd jumped on the bus to get the driver to swerve away from the child. That hero was of course, Cat Noir.

There were a number of different reasons she did not want to stop and speak with him. She didn't want to explain using another miraculous like she was because then he'd know she was willing to use them without merging them with her own. That might, _might_, make him wonder about when Marinette had the Mouse Miraculous and she did not want him to figure out whom she was in case it lead back to another Cat Blanc episode. It was a little paranoid, but knowing that Cat Noir learning her identity had somehow lead to the destruction of the word, she felt a little paranoia was called for.

She also didn't want him to think that Ladybug was randomly testing out possible new candidates for miraculouses. It had been a sore point with him that he didn't know any of the identities of the other users except for Queen Bee. She tended to forget he was there for both Pegasus and Ryuko, and wasn't really sure he'd seen Viperion's user when she'd stolen the bracelet. Even if he didn't think that, he'd wonder where the akuma attack was and then she'd be in a rather uncomfortable position of trying to explain why she was there.

Finally and maybe the dumbest reason of all, she did not want to try and figure out a codename on the spot. When she'd first turned into Ladybug, it was literally the only thing she could think of at the time. She'd been so unoriginal and lacking of inspiration. Sure Cat Noir literally meant black cat, and pretty much described him, but it sounded so much cooler then Ladybug. She should have gone with something like Scarlet Lady. When they had to deal with Kwami buster, she'd had the entire "flight" to come up with Multimouse, and she did spend most of that time thinking of the name to use.

So rather then trying to comfort the crying child she'd just rescued from certain death, she galloped, er ran off.

* * *

**CAT NOIR**

* * *

It was supposed to be a simple picnic in the park. At least that was the plan that Adrien Agreste had and it worked out fine to start with. He and Kagami picked up their food at the bakery Marinette's parents ran, and the pair had been hoping that Marinette would join them, but she hadn't been at home. They gave her a little bit of time and then decided to go see the movie first. The items they had picked up would be fine for a couple of hours. After the movie the Gorilla dropped them off at the park with instructions to come back in an hour unless Adrien texted him. Once there however, Adrien realized they didn't have anything to drink. He had Kagami wait for him while he headed to the nearest convenience store to pick up some drinks. It was then he noticed a ball going into the street in front of a bus. He didn't even think, he just transformed and jumped into action.

He wouldn't have time to get to the child, but he did have time to jump to the driver's side of the bus and pull the wheel away from the child. He'd seen it done in a number of movies so he knew not to yank it to hard, just enough to miss the kid since the driver wasn't really paying attention to the road. She hit the brakes as soon as she realized what happened and the bus came to a stop. Cat Noir looked to see where the child was and was just in time to see a person in brown, tan and black drop the child off at the curb and slip away. That person reminded him of Pegasus, but he was positive the outline was female, and there may have been a skirt as part of the outfit, but it was hard to tell with the glance he'd gotten

"Thank you Cat Noir." The driver stated.

"Best way to thank me would be staying off your phone while driving." He remarked with no charm to his voice. He jumped down and rushed to the child.

"Are you all right?" He asked still looking about. Whoever rescued him obviously didn't want any credit.

"No." The kid cried. "That lady set me down hard on my butt."

"Are you sure it was a lady?" He asked. The kid sniffled and nodded.

"I felt her boobies." He replied a little too proudly, and surprisingly the kid stopped crying.

"Well, um now." Cat Noir felt a little flustered and torn from the comment. "Just so you know, you really shouldn't . . . " He paused a moment. He had no idea how to say what he was about to say. "You know you shouldn't grab a woman's um boobies."

"I didn't grab them, she smashed my face into them when she grabbed me."

"Oh. Um okay." He didn't want to be that guy, but boy, did Cat Noir want to give the kid a thumbs up. **_Leave it to boobs to distract a boy from pain_**. He thought. "Just remember to be careful about going into the street. No one wants to see a car hit you." The kid nodded to Cat Noir.

Cat Noir padded the kid on the head and looked in the direction of the kid's savior but saw no trace. Whoever saved him didn't want any credit. Since he was actually on a date, Cat Noir decided it was pointless to look for the woman and just headed back to Kagami. **_Oh, and don't forget the drinks this time._** He reminded himself.

* * *

**MARINETTE 3**

* * *

Marinette wanted to give Kaalki a snack, but she didn't have her purse, with its snack supply for Tikki on her. That also meant she couldn't transform again to use a portal to get home. It occurred to her she could transform into Ladybug, but Tikki wasn't with her either. Everything had happened to fast and she was so unprepared. She would just have to walk. Not that walking was the worst thing in the world, and she was glad she'd kept her shoes on while she'd been working on the conversion from glasses to sunglasses for the Horse Miraculous. She remembered the day not to long ago when she was late to meet up with everyone and she'd gone out in her pajamas and slippers. That had been so embarrassing and even worse; she'd run into Adrien then too. Actually, now that she thought about it, she had to laugh at the ridiculous situation.

"I guess that was pretty funny." She stated to herself. She wore the Horse Miraculous as sunglasses, since that had been her intention after all. Kaalki just rested in the pocket of Marinette's jacket. As she walked past the park, someone came up behind.

"Ah, Marinette." The feminine voice stated from directly behind her. Marinette screamed and jumped nearly her body's height. "That is a very impressive jump." Kagami stated watching her with amusement.

"Oh, Kagami, I didn't see you there." Marinette said stating the obvious.

"It has been a while. Would you care to join me? I am waiting for Adrien to return with some drinks."

"Um, No, I really can't." She replied but Kagami had her arm and was dragging her to a blanket set as a picnic in the park.

"Please, even if you only stay a moment, it would be nice. It has been a while since I have seen you."

"Okay. I guess I can stay a couple minutes." She remarked as she felt Kaalki shift in her pocket.

"Oh, do you mind if I grab a little something?"

"No, please do." Kagami replied. Marinette cut a small piece from a cinnamon loaf sitting on a plate. She took a quick bite and when Kagami wasn't looking stuffed the rest in her pocket for the kwami.

"So you and Adrien are on a date then?" She asked awkwardly.

"Mostly. We did want to invite you since it had been so long since we'd seen you, but you were not at home."

"I was buying some crafting supplies." She remarked and smiled. She could direct the conversation to the sunglasses and avoid too much awkward talk about Kagami and Adrien. "I wanted to make my own sunglasses." She slipped them off her head and showed them to Kagami.

"These are very nice. Did you make them from scratch."

"Oh no, I took an old pair and just added to them." It wasn't a lie after all. They continued to talk for a few more minutes when Marinette spotted Adrien in the distance. "Oh, well I'm sorry Kagami, but I need to go. Hopefully I'll see you soon." She added as she stood up and rushed off. Kagami tried to grab her before she could get away, but missed.

* * *

**KAGAMI 2**

* * *

Kagami growled slightly after she'd missed Marinette. She'd been hoping to keep the girl there until Adrien returned with the drinks. **_What is taking him so long anyway?_** She wondered just as he stood above her. Since Kagami hadn't actually moved after her attempted grab, she was laying face down on the ground, with her hands stretched out in front of her.

"Trying to fly?" Adrien asked. Kagami felt her cheeks flare up in embarrassment. She knew her pale skin would show off the red heat of that embarrassment very well.

"I am, I was." She wasn't sure how to describe why she was in the position she was in. A moment later a breeze came by and lifted the back of her dress so it fluttered around her. Kagami's eyes widened as she slammed her hands against her dress and butt to keep her panties from showing. The slapping noise it made had echoed through the park. Adrien just casually whistled. She may not have wanted her unmentionables visible but she also wasn't going to freak out over her boyfriend accidently seeing them either. She only wished she hadn't ended up spanking herself so hard in the process of hiding them. She was having quite the day.

"Want a hand up?" He asked and bent to hold out his hand to her. She appreciated that he asked if she "wanted" the hand instead of "needed" it, although at the same time she was a little irritated that he even said anything. It was such a confusing set of thoughts for her. Still, she rolled onto her back to sit up and grabbed his hand so he could pull her the rest of the way to her feet. Adrien was really quite the gentleman, although he thought of some of the woman she'd met who would have considered his action to be misogynistic, as if she couldn't get up on her own. She smiled to herself. There was nothing wrong with being a gentleman. It was actually very sweet of him.

"I was just trying to stop something from getting away." She explained at last. Kagami didn't want to tell him it was Marinette who got away from her. He'd probably be a little saddened that he'd missed her, although it finally occurred to her that maybe the reason Marinette was avoiding the two of them together, was because they'd been adversaries for Adrien's affection. She found it difficult to believe Marinette just so happened to run off just before Adrien returned. She had to force herself to not frown, at least outwardly. It hadn't occurred to her that winning Adrien's heart could affect the friendship she'd started to develop with Marinette. She'd seemed okay with it at first. Then again as Kagami thought about it, the last time Marinette had been in the same place at the same time as her and Adrien, it was when most of Adrien's classmates had been there as well. **_She is avoiding us, but is she doing so as a couple or would she do so if it was just Adrien or myself?_** She would have to test that out later.

"I guess it got away then." Adrien laughed.

"Yes, yes she did." She replied thoughtfully.

"Huh?" Adrien asked confused.

"What?" Kagami asked just as confused.

"Nothing, never mind." He finished. "Why don't we enjoy our picnic? I got the drinks." He smiled holding up a bag with a few bottles of miscellaneous drinks. She returned his smile. She'd worry about Marinette later, but when the time came, she was going to be very active about talking to her.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**_NOTES:_**

* * *

Every so often I end up constantly mistyping the same word. This time around I keep typing Kagamo instead of Kagami. It ends up giving me the image of Kagami dressed as a clown in a horror movie. Lol.

Scarlet Lady is a reference to the comic on tumblr by zoe-oneesama. If you haven't read it, you should check it out, it's a brilliant parody.

I have no strong feelings towards Nathalie, but for some reason I feel like I'm always turning her into a secret sexpot. lol

I hope everyone is doing well during the COVID 19 Virus pandemic. I'm sure a lot of people will have extra time to read and maybe even write.

I think next chapter will start the Realty TV show for Marinette to deal with, which means, I really need to lock down the details. LEGO Masters already stole one of my ideas. Lol.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I wish everyone good health and good luck!

**PEACE AND LOVE!**

**Remember, comments and Reviews and loved and appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gabriel's Obsession 4**

* * *

**ALIX**

* * *

Alix Kubdel had a blading competition coming up, as in literally the next day. Her father often complained to her about her procrastinating too much, which in this case included finalizing things for the competition. As in, she'd held off on getting her costume for it. Well, checking up on her costume for it, that is. She'd asked Marinette to design and make it. Alix had approved of the design, well, three days after Marinette had sent them to her. Then she'd waited an extra day to get measured for it, and finally she'd forgotten about the final fitting it and picking it up. That's how she found herself rushing to Marinette's home the evening before the competition.

Sabine let Alix in and Alix rushed up the stairs to the residential level of the bakery and then the staircase leading to Marinette's room. Marinette had her head down and was furiously drawing something in a sketchpad.

"Marinette, my costume!" Alix exclaimed. For the second time that day, Marinette jumped and screamed in surprise.

"What?" Marinette asked more sharply then she'd expected, trying to get over the near heart failure she'd just endured.

"My costume, is it ready? I need it tomorrow!" Alex exclaimed. Marinette's eyes went wide with surprise.

"Oh Alix, I'm so sorry, I haven't finished it yet." She admitted.

"What?" Alix asked. She quickly calculated in her head the number of days she herself had wasted in the process, knowing that it was mostly her own fault.

"I'm close, I just need to finish it up, and then you can try it on and I can do any additional alterations to it. It'll be quicker if you can hang out here while I work on it." Alix nibbled her lower lip.

"All I was going to do was get some rest anyway. Sure I can hang out while you finish it. Mind if I use your bed to take a quick nap?" She asked.

"No, go ahead." Marinette replied as she got up and pulled out the costume.

"Thanks!" Alix climbed the ladder to Marinette's bed to get a little nap in. She was really tired, especially with her panicked run to Marinette's home.

* * *

**KAGAMI**

* * *

Tomoe Tsurugi was a very strict parent, which generally meant that Kagami did not have the same freedoms as the other teenagers her age. Going against her mother's wishes on Friendship Day had been so very out of character for Kagami but it had given her a chance to better see how life was for other teenagers. She craved that freedom. Now that she was dating Adrien, a boy her mother more then approved of, she had some additional freedom when it came to spending time with him. It did not however, give her the freedom to spend time with other friends, or in this case, friend, single. She often thought not being able to just go out was part of the problem with her inability to connect with Marinette better. If she couldn't get out to spend time with her friend, she couldn't get closer to said friend.

Kagami frowned as she put together an outfit to wear. She'd grabbed dark green leggings, a charcoal colored hoodie and a brown scarf to high her face. Since she was sneaking out at night, she wanted to blend in and she was well aware that black was too dark for blending in, but those leggings, sweatshirt and scarf were the only things she had that would work. That wasn't the problem, the problem was, once she had those on, and pulled the hood over her head and tightened it, she looked like a bad mockery of a ninja. **_Being seen in this would be very embarrassing,_** She thought looking in the mirror. She grabbed a black tunic style shirt with a v-neck and a leather belt to wear under the sweatshirt. She tucked the shirt into her leggings before opening the window to escape.

She knew the habits of the compound's security; it was something she'd paid a great deal of attention to since she and her mother had moved in. She also knew where all the cameras were and what they saw. As long as she stayed to the shadows, it wouldn't be too difficult for her to get out. She was just glad there was a tree close enough to her window for her to reach to climb down. Once the sun had fully set, she was on her way.

Since the compound was more about keeping people out, then keeping them in, it again wasn't hard for Kagami to find a tree to get herself over the wall surrounding it. Once she'd dropped to the other side, she realized that getting back in however, might be a problem. She'd have plenty of time to get consider that issue on her way to Marinette's home. She pulled off her hoodie and wrapped it around her waist**_. I guess I didn't actually need the belt_**, she thought as she started to walk. She pulled out her phone and looked up the number of a ride share company and called. Within ten minutes she was on her way to the bakery.

"Oh, good evening Kagami." Sabine said when she opened the door a little surprised by the late visit.

"Good evening Mrs." Kagami froze. Marinette was Dupain-Cheng, her father was Dupain, did her mother use Cheng or Dupain-Cheng like Marinette. Apparently her confusion was obvious because Marinette's mother laughed a little.

"You can call me Sabine."

"Good Evening Sabine." Kagami smiled back. It was somewhat of a hybrid of her natural smile and her fake smile. Since Kagami only spent short periods of time in Japan and mostly went to school in other countries, she did not have an issue with using another person's first name like one might see in an anime. Kagami often wondered if anime was accurate, but she couldn't ask her mother, because Tomoe did not want her daughter watching such frivolous things. That was probably Kagami's main point of rebellion against her mother though, watching anime when she got the chance. She was so very happy that her boyfriend, she loved thinking of Adrien like that, that her boyfriend was also an anime fan. One of the things they would do was watch anime when left to their own devices. In fact the movie they'd just seen had been a Lupin the Third movie on special release.

"Marinette is in her room, I can show you the way." Sabine offered making the assumption, correctly, that Kagami was there to see her daughter.

"Thank you Sabine. I appreciate that." She replied. **_Marinette, you will not get away from me this time_**, she thought and let out a little chuckle. Sabine glanced at her with a questioning look. Kagami's first instinct was to give her a smile, but she knew how terrifying her fake smile was and didn't want Sabine thinking she was up to anything nefarious.

"I was just thinking that Marinette has been avoiding me, and she won't be able to this time." She explained honestly.

"I see." Sabine said a little diplomatically. "If she has I am sure she has a good reason for it."

"I believe she would as well, I just do not know if she would tell me." Kagami remarked thinking about when she'd been first paired up with Marinette on Friendship Day. Marinette had tried to run away then as well. **_If she is avoiding Adrien and myself then I believe it is likely because of her feelings for Adrien._** **_That would be understandable._**

"Just go up these stairs and you'll be in her room." Sabine whispered. Kagami assumed Marinette's mother did not want Marinette to know she was there. Kagami nodded and went up the stairs. She opened the trap door and popped her head through in time to see Marinette undressing a girl. She was certain surprise was evident on her face as Marinette glanced over. Kagami had just been joking with Adrien about kissing Marinette, and now she'd run into Marinette in such a compromising position with another girl that maybe kissing wasn't the only thing Marinette would do. She honestly didn't actually think Marinette was the type to go for that sort of thing.

"Kagami, wait!" She heard Marinette call out to her as she turned and started back down. She felta tug on her hair as hands gripped it.

"Ahh!" Kagami cried in surprised pain when her hair was pulled taunt.

"I do not wish to interrupt your date." Kagami stated pulling away. She was certain she'd left some hair in Marinette's fingers.

"It's not a date!" Marinette cried. "I'm fitting Alix for a competition she's in." That caused Kagami to pause.

"So you were not about to . . . "

"No!" Marinette interrupted. Kagami could hear what could only be described as roaring laughter coming from Marinette's room along with the sound of a fist pounding on the floor. "It's not that funny Alix." Marinette cried.

"Yes, yes it is." Alix managed through her laughter.

"Please Kagami, come up." Marinette sounded as if she was nearly pleading. Kagami nodded and went back up to Marinette's room. Alix was pulling on a different outfit then the one she had been wearing when Kagami had first poked her head in.

"You are changing clothes?" Kagami asked. Alix handed Marinette some cloth, presumably what she'd been wearing earlier.

"Yup, Marinette is just finishing the alterations for the skater dress she designed for my competition tomorrow."

"Oh, so you were not enjoying yourselves?"

"No!" Marinette shouted. "Well, at least not outside of working on the dress. I do enjoy sewing." She amended a moment later as she ran the cloth through her sewing machine. Kagami noticed a few additional items, some thigh highs, shorts, bracers, shin guards, knee and elbow pads and a helmet. All of them seemed to have a similar design to them except the shorts, which stood out against the rest.

"I was hoping to speak with you tonight, however if you are busy, I can always come back." Before Marinette could reply, Alix interrupted her.

"Don't worry, we're almost done here, then Marinette is all yours." Alix gave Kagami a little wink, which brought a slight curl to her lips.

"Just need to finish this seam." Marinette added with a sigh. Once she was done, she tossed it to Alix. "You should try it on again before you go to make sure it's fine." Alix nodded and striped down in front of them both. Apparently she had no shame, not that it bothered Kagami. She was getting a chance to see how real world friends acted around each other. It was important research as far as she was concerned. After Alix finished putting on the dress she did a little spin and looked at herself in the mirror.

"This is prefect Marinette. Now I'll be a distraction to all who oppose me." She gave a maniacal laugh.

"Is that why it's designed that way?" Kagami asked noting how short the skirt was and how high it flared up.

"Oh yeah, and it's perfect." Alix stated excitedly and grabbed the shorts. "And look at this." She held up the shorts, and Kagami realized they looked more like bulma then standard shorts. "These are the same kinds of shorts cheerleaders and dancers wear under their skirts, but look here, Marinette added this to mine." Stitched into the rear of them were the words "You Lose!"

"What kind of competition is it?" Kagami asked.

"Oh it's a three part one. Stunts, race and kind of skate dancing. Since we can only have one costume for the whole thing, I wanted Marinette to put something together that would work for all three since style always comes into play."

"It looks very, um, bad ass." Kagami stated, the phrase sounding so weird from her that Alix burst out laughing again. She quickly changed back. And grabbed the rest of her costume and equipment.

"I shall leave you two alone." She smirked and left.

"Have you been avoiding Adrien and myself?" Kagami asked straight to the point. Marinette looked panic stricken, but then Marinette often did, Kagami mused.

"Yes I have." Marinette replied, surprising Kagami. "But before you ask why, I cannot tell you right now."

"Cannot or will not?" Kagami inquired a little more harshly then she meant.

"Cannot." Marinette reiterated. "But you'll both understand in a few weeks."

"That is not much to go on."

"I know, and I'm sorry I can't be more clear. There are reasons, but I can't talk about them."

"And it has nothing to do with your feelings for Adrien?" Kagami asked softly. She didn't want to upset Marinette after all anymore even thought not to long ago she enjoyed upsetting the girl, but that was before they became friends.

"No, no of course not. You and Adrien are a good couple and I'm happy for you, really I am." Marinette tried to sound cheerful about it, but Kagami wasn't really buying it but she didn't want to harass Marinette either.

"Thank you for being honest with me." Kagami stated, unable to avoid a slight jab after all. She noticed Marinette frown briefly.

"And thank you for visiting. I've got a lot to do still, so let me show you out. Although I'm surprised your mom let you come out this late."

"Oh she does not know I am out." Kagami's voice lowered to conspiratorial levels. "I had to sneak out, and now I need to figure out how to sneak back in."

"You don't have a way back in?" Kagami shook her head.

"I will think of something. Thank you again." Kagami finished as Marinette opened the door for her. She left the bakery and headed for home.

* * *

**LADYBUG**

* * *

Ladybug followed Kagami from a distance. She'd been concerned when Kagami had mentioned not having a way back inside her home after sneaking out. She figured that helping her get back into her room was not a selfish thing to do and thus all right. Even Tikki had been fine with the idea since Kagami had come to visit Marinette over her concerns about their friendship. The girl had hailed a ride share vehicle but Ladybug had no problem keeping up with it, although she realized that she had no idea where Kagami actually lived. She'd never been there before. She watched as the car stopped and Kagami slipped out and started to walk. It took ten minutes before Kagami reached a large walled-in facility. She untied her hoodie and slipped it on then wrapped her scarf over her mouth.

**_Is that where Kagami lives? That's bigger then the Agreste Mansion,_** She thought**_, and it looks like it has at least twice the land as well. I think the wall is even taller too. How wealthy is her family? No wonder her mom doesn't want her hanging out with average people. She probably thinks they are all after her money or something._**

Ladybug watched as Kagami looked at a tree on the other side of the wall. **_How does she intent to reach it?_** Ladybug wondered. Kagami stopped looking and started to walk along the wall. At one point, she even tried to scale the wall, but bricks of the said wall were extremely smooth on the outside. Ladybug followed as Kagami walked the entire distance around the facility noting that Kagami seed to be moving to avoid the view of the cameras as well. Kagami moved away from the wall and sat in a grassy patch away from it.

"Practicing to be a ninja?" Ladybug asked as she leapt to the spot behind the girl. Although startled, Kagami did not scream.

"Ladybug!" She did exclaim though. "No, I have been locked out of my house, and I am trying to get back in." She explained.

"I can help you with that, if you'd like?" Kagami seemed to think about it a moment as she looked back over at the wall surrounding her family's compound.

"By giving me the Dragon Miraculous?" She asked cautiously. Ladybug frowned and Kagami actually looked a little sheepish, which was surprisingly endearing.

"No, I'll swing you over to your window." She stated. Kagami frowned. "Sorry, I assumed you snuck out since you were trying to break in."

"You assumed correctly." Kagami admitted. "Please swing me to my window."

"Okay, Purr-incess." She stated unable to resist copying Cat Noir as she wrapped an arm around Kagami's waist.

"Is this the part where I give you a kiss for luck?" Kagami asked smiling. Ladybug laughed at what she assumed was a Star Wars reference and tossed her yoyo. A moment later she let it pull them off the ground and over the wall and to swing to the only window that was open. She went right into the window afraid that they would fall if she tried landing on the sill. **_It's too bad she doesn't have a balcony,_** Ladybug thought. After releasing Kagami she took a look around and noted that the room was fairly sparse.

"My mother prefers it this way." Kagami stated as she noticed. "No clutter to clutter the mind."

"Oh." Ladybug replied. She knew Adrien's father was really strict, but even Adrien's room showed his personality. Kagami's showed nothing. It was a weird spur of the moment thing to do, but Ladybug gave Kagami a hug and weirdly enough Kagami hugged her back.

"Thanks you Ladybug." She said with a smile.

"My pleasure princess. Hopefully I can rescue you from your tower next time rather then return you to it." She smiled and opened her yoyo. "Give me your cell number." She asked, even though she already had it. Kagami looked confused but gave it to her. A moment later Kagami had a text from Ladybug and it caused her to smile beautifully.

"Thank you Ladybug. I am happy to have you as a friend."

"You are very welcomed." She gave a slight bow.

"I must ask though, were you possessed by Cat Noir?"

"Ulp." Ladybug replied. "I guess considering the circumstances I couldn't help but follow his lead." She laughed and Kagami joined her. A moment later Ladybug tossed her yoyo and swung away.

* * *

**CAT NOIR**

* * *

"Do you think Hawk Moth is too busy to attack Paris again or something?" Cat Noir asked as he met up with Ladybug a few nights after she'd taken Kagami home, not that Cat Noir was aware of it. Kagami hadn't mentioned it to Adrien and Ladybug didn't say anything to Cat Noir.

"Maybe. I am concerned about it myself." Ladybug remarked. She seemed to be a little distracted to him. "I've heard about a new contest show being filmed in Paris." She said suddenly. **_Was that what she was thinking about?_** He wondered.

"I can't help but feel that reality television like that is a dangerous thing here. Emotions can get pretty dark on those shows." He commented remembering when his father had almost been forced to jump off a building after being hypnotized.

"I know, I was thinking the same thing, it's why I've gotten myself a position on the crew."

"You're going to be working for the show?" He asked surprised.

"Well, not me exactly, if you know what I mean." She added sounding just slightly coy. "But I thought it would be best if one of us was there to monitor things, so I probably wont be able to be in touch for a while, unless an akuma attacks."

"Should I see about working the show too? I could probably get on the staff myself."

"No!" She exclaimed. He couldn't help but feel a little upset over such a quick denial from her. "Sorry." Her voice quieted but also quivered. "I, I don't think it's a good idea for both of our civilian identities to knowingly be there at the same time. It would be to risky if we learned them because of it." **_Does she actually sound scared of that?_** He wondered. **_Normally she's a little blasé about it, sticking to it for our own safety thing, but she honestly sounds a bit terrified this time. _**

"In that case, I will do my best to watch over Paris on my own." He replied.

"I know you will Cat Noir." She responded with a soft smile. "I trust you to keep everyone safe." She paused before adding. "The filming starts next week." Cat Noir nodded.

* * *

**NATHALIE**

* * *

She was nervous. Sure the show had been her idea, and she was excited to be wearing clothes that Gabriel designed specifically for her, but that did nothing to calm her nerves. She was about to film a television reality series and it was terrifying. It was the first time she regretted bringing the idea to Gabriel. She waited just off stage for Alec Cataldi to introduce her. She was glad he was actually the host and that she was just the fill in for Gabriel. It gave her less to do.

"Welcome to The Gabriel Brand Intern Challenge!" Alec cried out in his hosting voice. Nathalie watched from her spot hidden away from view. "Contestants please come out." He called. "First up is Nadia Lighthouse all the way from America." She was a lovely dark skinned girl, with fiery red hair. Her hair billowed out behind her as she walked forward. She wore high stiletto heeled boots that went up to her thighs, tight denim jeans that went into her boots and a crop top with sheer blouse over that. The audience cheered and after the cheers quieted the next contestant came out.

"Our next contestant is Bobbi Skye from the United Kingdom. " Alec called out. Another uproar of applause came from the audience. A young man with a rather plain face stepped forward. His face was the only thing plain about him however. His hair was shaved on the left side and back, but left a few inches long on the right, with the top being extra long and brushed in front so it covered one eye. He wore a hot pink jacket, fishnet shirt, day-glow green pants, with black calf high boots, that had a mid height chunky heel.

"Next we have Aimee Beaufort of France." Naturally being a mostly French audience in the studio, she got a massive amount of applause even before she stepped out. This young woman with light color to her skin had a long braid of blonde hair that stopped a short ways past the bottom of her shoulder blades. She was dressed in a more sophisticated business like attire with a knee length pencil skirt, dark pantyhose, short thick-heeled Mary Jane style shoes, and a plain blouse with a Peter Pan collar. A smart watch with a rose gold band circled her left wrist, and matching hoop earrings pierced her ears. Her make-up was very subdued and natural except for the bright fiery red, gloss lipstick upon her plump lips.

"From Italy, we have Bianca Sartor." Alec cried. As always the audience applauded as the young woman with mocha skin and black hair cut into a bob walked out on stage. She wore a pair of denim shorts, a tank top with spaghetti straps, a thick choker, different color socks with a sneakers in a wild pattern of colors on her feet. On her left wrist were a bunch of bangles with a smart watch on her right. She waved to the audience as she walked out spinning around slowly to show off everything.

"From Germany, Everett Frei." A young man with an almost sickly pallor to his skin danced out, wearing dark jeans, with a dark grey turtleneck. He had on a long thin coat that stopped just above his knees opened wide so it fluttered behind him like a cape. A navy scarf was wrapped around his neck, one end in front the other trailing behind. He had white spiky hair and wore sunglasses. There were some oohs and ahhs from the crowd due to his insanely handsome features. The lack of make-up seemed to show that his color was more natural and not an attempt to be goth or emo.

"Also from France, going by only his first name Beau." The crowd applauded again especially at his showmanship as he danced his way across the stage. His skin had such a pinkish hue to it that Nathalie had to wonder if he got that effect from make-up, although the pink skin wasn't the only stand out on him. He had bright green hair that was closely cropped to his head. Nathalie actually wondered why he bothered to dye it if he was going to have it that short. He also had multiple piercings in his ears, nose, mouth, and cheeks. Thanks to a photo she'd seen online, she new his nipples were as well. She figured he probably had a few other hidden ones to go with them but wasn't about to ask. He wore a bright tank top, and faded jeans; along with sneakers the same color as his hair. He moved like he owned the stage.

"From the British Isles, Aiden Addison!" The woman who walked out made Nathalie smile. She'd picked her out specifically because of how she looked. With her white tee shirt, blue jeans, and a black blouse with its rolled up sleeves and unbuttoned front, she looked stunningly like a female version of Adrien only with long hair. She came out on stage like she was a model walking the catwalk, and she had been. Before she'd been in fashion design she'd been a model. Truthfully, had she been modeling, Nathalie would have recommended her to be the female face for Gabriel Brand. Even thought she was older then Adrien by six years, she looked like she could have been his identical twin, but with breasts. Nathalie hadn't told Gabriel about her either. It may have been her one bit of enjoyment at her love's expense. That wasn't all though, she was also expecting the resemblance to also keep Marinette a bit emotionally off kilter.

"And finally our last and youngest contestant also from France, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" He called out and startled a little when he saw her. He hadn't recognized the name but it looked like he was trying to place the face. Nathalie had known that could be a problem, but it was too late for Alec to do anything about it. Marinette came out on stage, moving a little shyly and waving to everyone. Nathalie noted that the girl was wearing what seemed to be her favorite outfit, one she seemed to wear all the time. The capris and jacket were actually Gabriel Brand clothing. Gabriel would notice that of course, but whether he would comment or not was anyone's guess. The mostly French crowd cheered for her as loudly as they'd cheered for the other two French contestants.

As the contestants all stood on the spots marked out for them, the large screen on the stage above a long table with three chairs turned so the backs faced them, lit up and in all his digital glory was Gabriel Agreste, at least his head.

"I would like to welcome all of you to this contest. Although I've done various little contests before, this is the first time I'm using one to pick out an intern." He stated in his normal grumpy sounding voice. "However, even though I want to nurture the next, well me, in fashion, I will not coddle you. If you cannot take harsh criticism, I would suggest you leave the stage now." He stopped as if waiting to see if anyone would leave. Truthfully, Nathalie had thought it was a possibility that would happen. Some designers did not take criticism well. Surprisingly Gabriel was not one of those even thought his attitude could easily make people think he was.

The screen shifted so that Gabriel was on one side and on the other was an image of the contestant with some of their designs. Although Nathalie knew it was very possible by the time this was over, there would be no actual winner, and Gabriel would have the Miraculouses he desired, she'd made sure all the candidates were talented and could be an intern for Gabriel. Gabriel shifted his head as if he were watching the images on the screen with him, giving some basic critiques as he did so. Some were positive and some were negative, none were harsh, at least not yet. He stopped at Marinette's images. One of them was the bowler hat she'd designed. Nathalie had that image put in specifically for this moment.

"Hm, that hat looks familiar to me." He stated. "Have I seen it before?" Marinette looked startled. She hadn't been expecting that hat to be in with her other designs.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, why does this hat look familiar to me?" He asked putting her on the spot.

"Um, well, you ah used it in um one of your ah shows. It had been well my entry in a contest you did at my um school." She replied nervously. He looked slightly irritated at her trouble speaking but said nothing about it. To a certain extent she was disappointed that she hadn't made enough of an impression on him that he only just remembered the hat, even thought Nathalie had pretty much warned her.

"Very well then." He stated. "At least I know there is someone with the level of talent I am looking for. Thank you Marinette." He finished without giving any of her designs a negative remark. She was also the only one whose first name he'd used while speaking to them. Nathalie smiled.

"We are going to start you all right away. We have work stations set up for all of you, however there is equipment you will need to share as well." Gabriel stated. "You will be given instructions, then shown to your quarters where you can work on your designs until tomorrow morning when you will be brought back here to build them within seventy-two hours. I recommend getting sleep, as you need it. This is not an endurance test. When it comes time to show the completed fashions, we will also introduce your models. Nathalie will explain what we are looking for." As he finished Nathalie slinked out.

Gabriel had taught her how to walk like a model since she would be modeling his creations on the show, and so she did as she was told, walking along a lit path from her offstage staging area, all the way to the end, turning around with a little flare and strutted to stand in front of the group. Marinette was the only person who'd met Nathalie before and Nathalie wanted to laugh at the expression on the girl's face. She was so obviously stunned by the change.

Nathalie was dressed in purple booties with a medium stiletto heel, neon pink tights, with black fishnet tights over them, heading up to a black leather miniskirt, with a neon pink zipper on the front, and neon pink stitching. She had a fishnet top on over a neon pink cropped tank top with silver and black lettering of "ROCK ON!". Over that was a cropped leather jacket of the same purple as her booties, with short sleeves ending midway on her upper arm with spikes as embellishments on the shoulders. The fishnet shirt made the rest of the way down her arms, where her right hand was covered by a purple, leather, and fingerless glove. Her other wrist had purple and neon pink alternating wavy bangle bracelets. She wore a black leather spiked collar around her neck with neon pink hooped earrings. Her lips were purple, her make-up a combination of heavy purple and neon pink designed to stand out from a distance and her hair. Her hair was a wig, since dying her own for every show would likely cause it to fall out, but that wig was neon pink with thick purple stripes and ran halfway down her back. She hadn't had hair that long since her university days.

"Your first assignment, is to Rock and Roll!" She cried punching into the air. The crowd went wild. She smiled as she looked around waiting for the cheers to die down. "You will need to design two outfits, one male and one female for a rock duet. You can do whatever you want with the theme as long as it fits rock and roll." She looked at everyone's excited expressions, except for Marinette who still hadn't recovered from the drastic change in Nathalie's appearance. At least that's what Nathalie figured since the girl's jaw still hung open like a broken door. "You will be shown to your quarters and allowed to work on your designs for the rest of the day. You can work on them as long as you need, but starting at 9:00 am, your seventy-two hour timer starts for the physical creation of your designs. As a bonus, we will make a consumer version of those designs in a limited number to sell. We will track the numbers sold and the order of sell out in those cases to help with the scoring should there be a tie in the competition. We will also be supplying you with the profits from those designs as a bonus to you." That made all the contestants extremely excited.

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

The change in Nathalie as she played her part in the show had stunned Marinette. She wasn't a close personal friend of Nathalie, but she'd seen her enough times to know the woman tended towards more business like attire. In fact, until that day she didn't think she'd seen Nathalie in anything but a pants suit. The woman was a subtle beauty, but in that rock and roll outfit she'd been absolutely gorgeous. It was obvious that Gabriel Agreste had designed it. It hadn't occurred to her that she'd get to see new designs from her favorite designer. That prospect added an extra thrill to being on the show.

As a group, the contestants were lead up a set of stairs to the third floor of the retrofitted warehouse where they were taken to a large room. It was an open living space with two kitchen areas, one on either side, a large television set up, with a game consul attached. A couple of couches and various recliners were littered across the area as well as a large table with eight chairs around, presumable for dining. There was a door on either side that opened to show what appeared to be a couple of sinks with mirrors, which seemed to be a group bathroom. Along the back wall, and the sides nearest it were eight doors, two on each side and four along the back.

"Those doors in the back will be your rooms. They are sparse, allowing only for a bed with some drawers and a clothing rod, but also they have a balcony for fresh air." Nathalie explained. "Basically, we don't want you staying in your rooms as we also want you all to interact with each other. You never know when you might need help from another contestant." It made sense to Marinette and she was already eyeing one of the rooms on the end. With the balcony there, it might make it easier for her to leave, as Ladybug, if she needed to and being away from most the other contestants would help. She was really hoping they hadn't assigned rooms.

"Here are your room assignments." Nathalie stated as if she'd just read Marinette's mind and destroyed her hope. She read of the names and pointed to each room as she did so. The names went in the same order as they'd been called on stage, which to Marinette's joy, put her in the last room on the side, the one she'd been eyeing even. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like we're next to each other." Aiden stated with a smile, startling Marinette. She hadn't gotten a good look at the young woman earlier but now she saw the startling resemblance to Adrien, so much so she found she was having trouble talking to her.

"Um ah yes." Marinette managed as she lifted her hand up to scratch the back of her head in a slightly embarrassed manner.

"Hopefully we can become friends." Aiden stated with a sweet smile.

"Ah yeah, of course. I um would like that as well." The contestants all went into their rooms where they found their own clothing stored away. Marinette went to the balcony to check it out. It appeared that it went all the way around that side of the building towards the back, with only a bit of railing between the contestants' sections. She noted it wouldn't be hard to any of them to climb over and made a mental note to keep the drapery shut when she went to sleep. She heard the sound of a hand clapping as if to get attention.

"Now you've seen your living quarters, I will show you the rest of the floor." Nathalie stated. As she walked past the bathroom, Marinette noticed it only held a couple of sinks and mirrors. There were no toilets, showers or baths in it. She had a feeling she knew what Nathalie was about to show them, and she was right.

"Here is where you will be able to relieve yourselves." She pointed to hallway that had four doors that opened to toilets and two sinks across from them, but no mirror. **_They can't film us using the toilet or taking showers_**, Marinette realized, **_so they have a special area for us to do it. They're assuming we'll use the sinks and mirrors at our room for make-up and gossiping._** And she was correct, that was why it was set up that way. Nathalie showed them all to the shower room and it looked much like what you'd seen in a gym locker room. Eight stalls were set up with separate curtains, meaning everyone could shower at once if they wanted too. **_That would be really awkward_**, she thought. She also noted that although there were no cameras in the shower and toilet areas, there were cameras in the hallways leading to them.

"It will be up to you on how you want to handle your showering and bathroom use." And with that our tour is concluded. You may go back and start working on your designs. There will be tablets and sketch pads available when you get back." Natalie announced. "Now get back to your quarters and start." She added and clapped. A few of the contestants turned and ran back they way they'd come from. Marinette was impressed that Nadia could run so fast in the heels she was wearing. **_Stop admiring her and run idiot_**, she screamed at herself and took off. As Nathalie had said, there were eight sketchpads and eight tablets sitting on the dinning table for each to grab. Marinette noticed everyone grabbed one of each and did the same. On the counters in the separate kitchen areas where pencils, markers, colors pencils and pretty much everything artists would need. Since Marinette preferred sketching in a sketchbook she grabbed a set of pencils and found a seat in one of the plush chairs to work. She looked up and watched as the others did likewise, some in chairs some in couches and one at the table. Most of the others seemed to be using the tablets for their designs. She noticed that both Aiden and Nadia had also chosen to use sketchpads.

"So you're a sketcher too?" Aiden asked as she pulled a chair closer to Marinette and spun it to face her, before settling down with her legs under her.

"Oh um, yes. I love drawing on paper more then you know digital." Marinette replied.

"It's the best way." Nadia agreed as she pulled up her own chair. She sat with one leg crossed over the other. "Although I do like to scan in my sketches and color them digitally."

"Oh, I haven't tried that before." Marinette admitted. "Although I think during a timed contest would be a terrible time to try."

"Haha, that's probably right." Nadia agreed.

"I think we're supposed to have free days between our trials though, so you could play with it then." Aiden suggested.

"Oh um thanks. That's a ah good idea." Marinette remarked a little shyly. The trio continued to talk a little here and there as they worked on their designs. Mostly they talked about sketching techniques and even stopped together to make something to eat from the kitchen. Other little groups had formed as well. The one thing every group seemed to have in common though, no one was showing their designs to anyone else. It was still a competition after all.

Once it got late enough Marinette went to her room to sleep. It was very true that the sleeping areas were not very large. Since she was use to sketching on her bed at home, it wouldn't have been all that difficult to work in the room if she wanted, however she had more important things to deal with. She pulled off her jacket and started to slide her pants down when she remembered there was a camera in the room somewhere. She frowned and pulled the blanket off the bed and used it to cover herself as she changed into her pajamas. In this case, she'd made a rather cute frilly set that was a sleeveless baby doll style top and matching shorts to wear since she really didn't want to been seen in public again in her usual night attire. Knowing that picture of her in her normal sleepwear with Adrien would be forever online annoyed her. After getting changed, she rearranged the blanket on the bed and crawled in, covering her head with it. Tikki and Kaalki both appeared shortly after.

"Okay, you know what to do right?" Marinette whispered not wanting her voice to be picked up by any microphones.

"Look for all the hidden cameras and find the monitoring room to see everything they see." Tikki whispered back.

"This is so exciting Kaalki whispered. "It's like were paparazzi hunters or something, such a dream to be in front of the camera, it's too bad we can't be seen." Marinette shook her head.

"Find out what you can and as many safe spots for me to transform." The kwami's nodded before flying off. This was going to be the hardest part, for as long as she was on the show she'd be watched, so she needed too know what area's she could go to be alone to transform and escape without being seen. That was going to be tricky.

* * *

**TIKKI**

* * *

Tikki and Kaalki carefully flew around the room looking for hidden cameras. There were a couple of obvious cameras that appeared to be set up to get the full room at different angles. It also appeared that one of them likely would reach the balcony. Kaalki looked outside but couldn't find anything directly on the balcony though. After the room investigation was complete, they went to check out the shared room, but decided to put that on hold since people were still in there working. They went out into the hall and continued to search.

**_I wish Marinette had brought a couple of others with_**, Tikki thought. It was going to be a big job for just the two Kwamis, but she knew it was difficult for humans to wear more then one Miraculous at a time. That Marinette could do so was impressive, but at the same time, Chloe was able to as well**_. That was scary. We're lucky Chloe's just selfish and not pure evil or we could have been in a lot of trouble._** Tikki found the monitor room on the second floor. Multiple technicians were sitting and watching the multitude of screens. Tikki and Kaalki stayed back and also looked at the monitors. On one they saw Beau get up and leave the shared room and head for the toilets. The two Kwami's were able to watch the entire progress of his movement in the screens. **_That's a bad sign_**, Tikki thought. She looked at the row of monitors that were set up with the names of the contestants written below them. There were two monitors for each and showed the two different views of the room and the one views did show the balcony but not well. Tikki frowned. She couldn't find a camera that showed the balcony otherwise. **_Is that for a little privacy? _**She wondered. She continued to look through the monitors and then she saw it. There was a little distance shot of the balcony. **_That's not good. I hope we can find a place where Marinette can hide otherwise she may drop out. _**That was one of the last things Tikki wanted to see happen. She knew that Marinette really needed this after everything else that had happened recently.

Kaalki pointed to a monitor where they watched as a tech walked out of sight of one camera but not into sight of another one. They both looked through the screens until they saw the tech finally reappear. It looked like there was a blind spot on the second floor. Tikki went to check it out while Kaalki continued to watch things. When she returned, she nodded that it would work and Kaalki pointed to another monitor. Tikki went to check it that one out as well. It took them the entire night, but The kwamies found four different blind spots throughout the warehouse Marinette could use to escape if she needed to, and one even had a door to the outside. Marinette might not need to use the Horse Miraculous to escape. The pair of kwamies were also as certain as they could be that they'd found all the visible and hidden cameras. When they returned to Marinette's room they slipped under the edge of the blankets where her foot found itself hanging off the edge and snuggled up with her to get whatever sleep they could.

* * *

**MARINETTE 2**

* * *

With her designs in hand Mariette rushed to the workshop on the first floor with everyone else. This was a different room in the warehouse from the stage and had eight main stations for the contestants to use. Along with that were a number of other specialized stations for other items such as sergers, leather working equipment, embroidery, fabric dying and pretty much anything they were likely to need. It was amazing. Marinette never wanted to leave the workshop.

"Good morning everyone, I hope you are all doing well." Nathalie stated as she appeared once more in her rock and roll outfit. **_I bet she'll be wearing that for everything since they'll have to cut the episode together from all the days_**. Marinette smiled and couldn't help but study the design of the outfit. It was tempting to try and copy what Gabriel Agreste did, but she didn't want to go that way. She'd decided to base her designs on what she thought would look good on Jagged Stone and Vivica. After all, they were the two rock and rollers she knew best.

"I am aware that there is probably a lot of equipment you won't know how to use, so we've got technicians to help you. However, they are here to help you not do the work for you. We also have over there," Nathalie pointed to an opening that lit up. "All kinds of fabrics, threads and accessories in there for you to use. If you can't find something you need, we will try and get it for you. Mr. Agreste does not want you to be hindered at all by lack of materials. If you are hindered, it will be because of your own shortcomings." **_Ouch, that was pretty harsh,_** Marinette though, **_but it does sound like something Gabriel Agreste would say_**. She giggled a little. She couldn't believe how excited she was. Everyone was shown to their stations and got down to work.

Every so often Nathalie and Alec would come by to speak to the separate contestants. They did mini interviews and occasionally Nathalie would have her tablet out and move it around the work being done. Obviously Gabriel Agreste was looking at what they were doing.

Everyone could work for as long as they wanted during the seventy-two hours. There were no requirements for anyone to go to bed or anything, so people worked ate and slept as they felt it necessary. Marinette noted that no one used the showers during this time, even herself, although she planned to show before the big presentation.

Often the groups that formed the first day would go and eat together, that included Nadia, Aiden and Marinette. They worked together to prepare their meals and Marinette was having a blast getting to know them. She was really happy.

* * *

**NATHALIE 2**

* * *

Nathalie stood at the main stage with Gabriel's image on the large screen. The contestants all stood in their spots on the stage next to circular curtains with their models and the clothing they designed inside them. Once more she was wearing her rock and roll outfit. Nathalie really was enjoying showing off a more wild side, but that wasn't all. She was also enjoying her part as a host. She even realized she'd unwittingly stolen a number of parts that Alec was supposed to do.

"Welcome back everyone. I'm happy to see no one ran away." She joked. The audience laughed. Alec came up next to her.

"Of course before we show off your fashions, it's time we introduced your models, although models please stay behind the curtains." He remarked with a laugh.

"Yes, we'll be introducing you all from the interviews and meetings beforehand." As they stood there the screen shifted again so that Gabriel was off to one side while scenes played on the other. It showed the moments when the contestants went to speak with their models, then included interviews afterwards. Nathalie smiled when Marinette's came up and glanced over at her. She was surprised to see that Marinette was wearing a rock and roll styled outfit, with fishnet tights, hot pants, a Jagged Stone concert tee shirt, leather jacket and motorcycle boots. She'd dressed in the theme herself even doing dark eye make-up and lipstick. She looked pretty good too.

They showed Marinette's initial talk with Juleka, and even managed to fix the sound so that Juleka's voice didn't fade as it had when she'd spoken so softly at the end. Then they played Juleka's interview with Alec and she mentioned how she was nervous about being a model on television, but she was also looking forward to doing it and how she loved Marinette's designs and hoped she didn't mess anything up. All in all, she came out as sweet and nervous but also that she was determined to help her friend. Then it was Luka's turn.

"Now all I need is to get a boy to model for me." Marinette stated on the screen. Nathalie glanced over at the girl and saw her cheeks flush. Then Luka came into frame with his songlike voice.

"Marinette, remember when I said I would be there for you, whether you needed emotional support or anything else? I want you to always be able to count on me." She listened to the crowd react to Luka's flirtatious moment and when he'd slipped his finger under Marinette's chin to lift her face to make eye contact, there were gasps and oohs and ahhs a plenty. But the crowd quieted down as Marinette seemed to barely manage to respond.

"Luka." The sound had been altered slightly to make her voice more breathy.

"I'll take that as a yes." Luka said as he leaned in to kiss her, the camera shifted as he did so making it appear as if they had kissed, and the film stopped there. The audience and even some of the other contestants roared and cheered for that moment. Nathalie could see Marinette's skin take on an even brighter flush of red. She was certain she saw Marinette swoon a little. **_I wonder if she's about to faint. I hope they put a camera on her. THAT would make for a great showing in the final edit if she does._** Not that it was over yet, they still had Luka's interview to play.

* * *

**MARINETTE 3**

* * *

She could just die, right then and there, just die. She should have known they would show that moment, but the way they did show it, O-M-G. She knew she could attempt to explain what really happened, but there was no way anyone would believe that she and Luka hadn't kissed. Just watching it herself she had to remember that they hadn't kissed but unfortunately she lifted a finger to run against her lips as she did so just adding to the moment. Marinette felt herself get a little lightheaded

"Damn, he's a total babe with a capital H-O-T." Nadia commented.

"I'm feeling a little flustered just watching this." Aiden added as she fanned herself with her hand. Marinette narrowed her eyes at them. They had been cheering the loudest in the contestant area. **_What if Adrien sees that? _**She wondered. **_Can I get them to change it before the episode actually airs? _**Then it got worse as Luka's interview started.

"I've known Marinette for like six months or so. She's done designs for our band Kitty Section and sometimes acts as our manager." He explained.

"So how do you feel about her?" It was Alec doing the interviews. Luka seemed to pause as if trying to gather his thoughts, and as he did so started to play a sweet melody on his guitar, as he tended to do when thinking.

"She is the music that's in my heart, the song that sweeps me away in its affections." The female members of the audience cooed in appreciation and sudden infatuation for the young man as he spoke. Marinette thought both her heart and face would explode all over the stage.

"Damn girl, that is one fine man you've got there." Nadia remarked and gently elbowed her. "Wish I could find someone like that."

"Um, well it's not really like that." Marinette tried to explain. She was about to say they were just good friends, but she refused to use a phrase even remotely like the one the haunted her when she'd heard Adrien say it.

"Hey no need to be shy, aren't the French known for their passion and love?"

"I um guess." Marinette remarked. As things calmed down it was time for everyone to reveal their designs and models in the flesh. Nathalie, Alec as well as another man and woman Marinette didn't know went around to each designer looking at their designs. Nathalie was holding her tablet up and moving it around and in and out per Gabriel Agreste's orders. Marinette was impressed at so many of the finished designs. She may have held a little biased thanks to getting to know them, but she really liked Nadia's and Aiden's designs best thinking they were most likely to end up in the top two.

"So what was your inspiration for your design, Marinette?" Gabriel Agreste's voice said from the speaker when it was Marinette's turn. Juleka and Luka both struck different poses, and since they were in a band, they did so very convincingly.

"I just thought about what would look good on my favorite rock star."

"Would that be the young man modeling it for you, I understand he is in a band." Luka looked over at her and smiled. Marinette felt heat rise in her cheeks again.

"Actually that would be Jagged Stone." Marinette replied. She heard a slight murmur from the audience; they'd been expecting her to say it was Luka. **_Maybe I should have said Luka_**, she thought. **_Oh no, I'm so out of my element here._** Gabriel laughed a little, which was a little disconcerting to her. The group went back to the stage. Alec introduced the two judges as being fashion editors for a couple of prominent fashion magazines, one in France and the other in Italy. The pair started to discuss the designs they saw giving both positive and negative reviews of them. Based on that, it seemed that Aiden, Beau, Bianca and Marinette were the top four. Then Gabriel Agreste spoke and he was a little vicious in some cases. Everett looked like he was about to burst into tears. The scores were not updated as of yet however.

"Now, for our special celebrity guest judge, please give a round of applause to the one the only, Jagged Stone!" Alec cried out. Jagged came rushing out in true rock star fashion before stopping and running back the way he came.

"Come on Fang, you're coming out too." He coaxed his pet crocodile. There were a number of screams from the audience as Fang came into view. Jagged looked out and waved at everyone before stopping and looking straight at Marinette.

"Oh hey Marinette, awesome to see you here. I didn't know you were a contestant." He called out. Maybe it was her imagination, but she swore everything got impossibly quiet to the point where she could hear everyone's eyeballs turn to look at her.

"Um Hi Jagged Stone."

"Come on girl, didn't I tell you just call me Jagged."

"Sorry Jagged." She spoke shyly.

"Wait, you know her?" Alec asked.

"Of course, don't you remember Alec, it was her parents bakery that we filmed at that one time, you know when Penny became Troublemaker." Realization dawned on Alec's face.

"That's why she seemed familiar to me." He cried out and paused as if listening. "We have a clip from that day thanks to our crack team of techs." He stated a moment later up on the screen for everyone to see was Jagged Stone in her room.

"Hey there are more photos of this dude then of me. I think the baker's daughter's got a little crush." Before focusing on the photos of Adrien and a slight scene cut and then Marinette popping out of the trap door.

"What are you guys doing in here?" Spoken in her panicked voice. The audience started laughing, well most of them. Tom and Sabine didn't look too happy about it.

"Yeah that's it." Jagged commented. "She's the one who made these awesome shades I'm wearing, and designed the last two CD covers and new tour poster." Marinette nearly collapsed, but Nadia and Aiden caught her before she did.

* * *

**NATHALIE**

* * *

It was beautiful, the calamity of Jagged Stone and Marinette. That aside, Jagged had needed to do his own judging as well, and the producers needed to talk about the predicament they had not been prepared for.

"With the scores in, we've decided that because of their unexpected personal connection, we've decided to only award Marinette Dupain-Cheng two-thirds of the points that Jagged Stone has given her." Alec announced. Some people in the audience cried about it being unfair, and Nathalie wondered which side they thought was unfair, that Marinette knew Jagged Stone or that they'd deducted points from her because of it. Another look at the audience and she was certain it was mostly against Marinette's relationship with the rock star.

"Now then, our top two contestants are, Aiden Addison and Marinette Dupian-Cheng." They were both show to the "winner's circle."

"But with a top two also comes a bottom two, and I'm sad to say, our bottom two are Beau and Everett." They were asked to step forward.

"Normally it would be my duty to announce which of you would be leaving." Gabriel stated from the big screen. "However I wanted to give everyone a chance to understand the format here and so we will not be sending anyone home tonight." Beau and Everett hugged each other and jumped up and down.

"However, your scores from this week will be added to your scores next week for the determination, so the pair of you will have an uphill battle, but not an impossible one. I look forward to seeing where you go from there." Gabriel did not say which of the two had been the lowest. That would make them stew a little more. The attention went back to the top two contestants.

"Miss Addison, I'd like to start with you." Gabriel stated. He went over her design more fully then he had when he'd been checking it out via the tablet. It was obvious he was looking down at notes he'd taken at the time. He let her know what he'd liked, what he did not like and also where she shined with her design. He had her models move and pose to help point out the things he was mentioning. Aiden was blushing from the mostly praise she'd received by the time he was done.

"Now Marinette, I want to start by saying that I appreciate you dressing for the presentation. No one else did so. It helped make your presentation stand out. That being said, such theatrics may not work in the future since I've pointed it out today." Gabriel paused and looked back to his notes before talking about her designs. As with Aiden's models, Gabriel asked Luka and Juleka to move around as he pointed out the items he spoke of. It became more and more evident that he preferred her design, so it didn't come to anyone's surprise when it was announced that Marinette was the winner.

Aiden gave Marinette a hug while both girls had tears in their eyes. Nadia rushed up to join in the hug fest, but hit them so hard the trio fell on the floor.

"A little decorum ladies." Gabriel's voice came from the speakers around the stage.

"Um Sorry." Marinette apologized.

"My Bad." Nadia stated.

"Sorry." Aiden added. Gabriel did have a slight smile on his face though. It seemed to Nathalie he was actually enjoying himself.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**CONFESSIONALS**

* * *

These were only viewable on the show's website, not aired on television.

**NADIA**

"I thought for sure I'd be talking about Marinette's hot ass boy toy, but to find out she's actually friends with Jagged Stone, that was something else. It did seem a little unfair that she had a personal connection with one of the judges, but it's not like she knew about it. None of us know who the celebrity judges are going to be. I don't know if it gave her an advantage or not, but I'm glad they came up with a work around. I really liked what she did and I want to see what else she comes up with in the future. Of course I still plan on beating."

**AIDEN**

"You know, I expect that most people focused on the whole Jagged Stone thing, but what I found more interesting were all the pictures of Adrien Agreste she had on her wall. I mean, I love Gabriel Brand too, and I have some images of Adrien on my wall at home along with other fashion inspirations, but not to the extent she did. She has to have a thing for him. That would explain why she'd been so flustered by me. Yes I am aware of my resemblance to Adrien, or I guess since I'm older, his resemblance to me." She laughed a little. "I wonder if I can take advantage of that in the future though? Don't get me wrong I like Marinette, but I'll do what I need to to beat her.

**MARINETTE**

"So I guess I should say how I know Jagged Stone. You see, my class was doing this work-study thing at Le Grand Paris Hotel and I was assigned to be the gopher. That day Jagged Stone came in and I was asked to find him some sunglasses with the Eiffel Tower on them. Well the first pair I found weren't what he wanted and so I ended making ones that fit what he was looking for. After that, he'd had me design an album cover because he thought I knew him and his music better then his label did. They wanted to make him look more like a pop guy then a rocker."

**EVERETT**

"I can't believe he hated so much of my design." Everett cried in his confessional.

* * *

**NOTES:**

* * *

So I realized this story would go on forever if I focused on all the fashions and all of the contestants, so I'll likely only be doing that kind of thing occasionally and just focusing on the those that a pertinent for the story, so to speak. Hopefully no one minds. Doing this though really makes me wish I had artistic talent and could draw, cause I'm not sure if what I see in my head is really coming out in what I write.

So one of my lines was **_She smiled and left. _**What I first wrote was "**_She smelled and left"._** That would be two very different visuals. Lol

**_"Okay, Purr-incess." She stated unable to resist copying Cat Noir as she wrapped an arm around Kagami's waste. _**Another typo that drastically changes the meaning of the scene.

Trying to come up with the contestants, OMG why did I have this idea? I've had to put together a list with notes on them. I update it as I work, so maybe at some point, I'll add that list as a special feature, would anyone be interested in that?

So while doing Nathalie 2 I forgot it was Nathalie and started writing from Marinette's perspective again. _For a moment Marientte thought, I think mine might actually look better then that, but she quickly quashed the thoughts. The last thing she needed to do was get full of herself. She'd seen parts of what everyone else had designed and knew she was in for some stiff competition._

So on a side note, the way I'm thinking is a number of episodes will be filmed before any air, so they have some leeway in case of problems. So by the time people see episode one, they'll be filming episode four or five, or something like that.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave a review, I love reading what you have to say, and I even try to write back.

Also I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Here's to hoping with most of the countries in this world looking into this virus we'll get some good treatments and a vaccine for it.

Being a person with a part time job that's considered essential, I want to add don't forget to keep those out there doing deliveries whether it be stuff you ordered online, food delivery, the people working behind the scenes in those places or just working in your local grocery store in your hearts. They could be risking their health for you.

**PEACE and LOVE!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Gabriel's Obsession chapter 5**

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

If she were being honest with herself, which she occasionally was, Chloe had absolutely hated going to the support group she'd created. Post Traumatic Akumatization Syndrome. It was a "cute" phrase to use and all, but talking about it wasn't really all the cute, it was boring. In fact people were actually pretty slow to show up. The first meeting had been her and Theo Barbot, aka Copycat. Then came Nathaniel Kurtzberg, aka The Evillustrator. Sabrina, aka The Vanisher and Miraculer had supported Chloe by showing up with her father, aka Rogercop at like the third meeting. Then finally more and more people started to show up as word got out about it being a serious group, and Chloe started to pay attention. However, it wasn't until Xavier Ramier, aka Mr. Pigeon, had shown up that things got really interesting.

"I started to have these nightmares after the last time." He mentioned. "Or I guess during these last times." Referencing the two dozen or so times he'd been akumatized, making him the most akumatized person in Paris. Chloe took special interest in him because he was the only person akumatized more then herself. She'd been forced to be Anti-Bug, Queen Wasp, twice, but had volunteered to be the Miracle Queen. She wasn't sure if anyone else had been akumatized so many times. She knew a few people had been twice, such as Lila, Rose, Juleka and Alya. At least that she was aware of.

Of course there was still the time she volunteered for it, unlike the previous times, she had her full memory of what happened. That meant she should up the count on Alya by at least one more since she'd become Rena Rage under Scarlet Moth. As far as the world was concerned, Chloe been forced that last time too, but Ladybug knew she hadn't and Chloe had been so mad at the time she hadn't tried to hide the fact that she had her memories from Ladybug.

She did take note that none of the Miraculous users showed up to her meetings even though all of them had been akumatized at least once if not more. Ladybug must have told them about her keeping her memories or something. That was just another reason to hate Ladybug now, not that they really mattered. It wasn't like she was friends with any of them anyway, although, Chloe had enjoyed fighting along side of them as Queen Bee. Rena Rouge and whom she suspected was Carapace, knew her in school but aside from a little snark, they'd accepted her as a crime fighting partner. Even Dupain-Cheng had set up a celebration for her at school after the defeat of Maledictator.

If Ladybug hadn't betrayed her like she had, if she'd continued to let her be Queen Bee, then everything would have been so much better. It's not like she'd wanted to be friends with her classmates, she just wanted to be loved by everyone. . . right? Chloe shook her head and went back to listening to Mr. Pigeon, er Mr. Ramier. **_Why does he look so much like that Inspector Gadget character Sabrina's dad likes?_**

"I think it started after the fourth time, but I'd been akumatized so often and so fast that it's hard to keep track. Ever since then, I have these nightmares where I'm trapped. Sometimes it's in a box. Sometimes it's chains. When it's chains it's the worst though, because eventually those chains rise up and control me like a puppet." There were some tears in his eyes. Chloe watched him frozen in place. She had just the vaguest memory of a dream like that herself.

"I sometimes see what I think are the actions I've taken as Mr. Pigeon when I'm being puppeted about in my dreams. I'm so horrified by it. Then there's the voice. I'm positive it's Hawk Moth because who else could it be. And the laughter, I hear laughter." Mr. Remier broke down sobbing. Chloe did something that surprised even her. She got up from her seat and gave him a hug. She let him cry in her arms until the sobbing had subsided and then just continued to hold him. The meeting ended shortly after that.

**_Hawk Moth hasn't been in touch with me for a while. All of his instructions to me have helped me become more appreciated by the people, but he still hasn't told me about his plan. Then again, I'm getting the kind of praise I want, so it doesn't really matter. It's not like he's gotten his hand on my miraculous yet anyway._**

* * *

**ALYA**

* * *

Kagami was once more a no show to the meeting. Alya was a little upset about it, but it was to be expected. She'd thought about having Nino ask Adrien about her, but she didn't want Adrien to know they had been miraculous users. Luka had told them that Adrien had been the first to actually wear the snake miraculous, but apparently after a number of failures, had suggested she give it to him. That meant that Adrien had been a user briefly, but so briefly that he hadn't ended up heeding the Miracle Queen's call. She didn't want to drag him into this group since he'd obviously been a failure in the first place. She knew it was a little harsh of her, but she was certain he wouldn't want to remember it.

"I think we should check out Chloe's meetings." Max stated.

"What, why?" Alya cried surprised.

"We should see exactly what she is doing in them."

"Dude, that sounds totally like something we should do." Nino agreed.

"Do you think she'd up to no good?" Luka asked while he strummed on his guitar.

"Of course she's up to no good, its Chloe, when is she ever up to any good?" Alya almost shouted.

"She did help us a number of times as Queen Bee." Nino supplied. Alya frowned. It was true, when Chloe had partnered with them, she'd actually done a decent job.

"Do you think that maybe your problem with Chloe isn't that you're angry with her, or maybe not just angry with her, but also disappointed in her?" Luka asked. Alya froze and stared at him. She was angry with Chloe, no doubt in her mind, but was she disappointed in her too? Marinette had thought that celebrating Chloe's time as Queen Bee might have helped Chloe be a better person and it had to an extent. The problem was, sometimes Alya thought Chloe pushed people to become akumatized just so she could be Queen Bee again. Aurora was the perfect example of that. Chloe had gone after her hard core and they ended up with the return of Stormy Weather, although what weather had to do with creating volcanoes Alya still didn't understand.

"Um Alya, you okay?" Kim asked.

"What, oh I'm sorry." She apologized and lowered her head a little. "You're right, I am disappointed in her. When we dealt with Miraculer, we all knew why Ladybug had become hesitant to give Chloe the Bee Miraculous. Mayura had been right there waiting for her chance to steal it and almost did. Chloe left herself open to attack. It was dumb and amateurish of her. She only wanted the attention. At least at first. I think she really enjoyed being a hero with us, and she was even pretty good at it. Sure, she was still a bitch in school most of the time, but you could tell she'd changed a little. So yes, I'm disappointed. I'm very disappointed because Chloe was almost becoming a human being and she threw that all away when she joined Hawk Moth."

"Alya." Nino said softly and put his hand on her shoulder. **_Is that really what upsets me the most, not that I can't be a hero anymore but because I was starting to actually like Chloe a little?_**

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

"Okay, so that's how it works." Marinette said excitedly when Nadia showed her how to import her sketches and color them with the software on the tablet.

"Yuppers, that's how it works. Now you can try out different colors all you want." Nadia remarked with a smile.

"Awesome." Marinette grinned.

"How come you're not giving me any up close and personal attention?" Aiden asked in exaggerated annoyance.

"Aw, I'm sorry, did you want some?" Nadia replied in mock apology. Marinette looked at her two friends and grinned. **_If this was an anime right now I bet Nadia would have grabbed Aiden into a hug that forced face into her boobs._** The image of that scene caused her to laugh.

"Something funny?" The pair asked together.

"Everything." Marinette replied laughing. They had a few free days before the next theme would be announced so Marinette wanted to get to know everyone better, especially Nadia and Aiden. It had been hinted there might be a group project in the future and she wanted to figure out whom she could best work with. If it turned out to be pairs, then she would end up choosing one of them, but that would also mean they could team up and leave her out, so she needed a back up person. Not only that but she wanted to learn what everyone was good at. All of them could design and sew, but she was better at embroidery then Aiden was. Aiden on the other hand, was better at adding hidden zippers then she was. Nadia had a talent for figuring out a person's sizes by looking at them. That talent was actually kind of scary.

The trio spent a few hours after dusk outside on Aiden's balcony section. Since she and Marinette were the only ones on that side of the building they thought it would be a good place to hang out for a little privacy.

"It's a surprisingly beautiful view." Nadia said looking at the skyline. They were just outside of Paris, and one could easily see the city lights.

"It really is. I'm glad they made sure we had a nice view." Aiden added. "Although I wonder if it was on purpose or on accident? "

"I'm sure it was on purpose. They have so many of us pretty much trapped here. They probably took that into consideration when they set everything up."

"You're probably right." Nadia said. Aiden grinned a little and slipped a hair tie around her hair and tucked the ponytail she made into the back of her shirt.

"Oh Marinette, my darling, you look radiant in the light of the moon." Aiden whispered seductively as she slipped a finger under Marinette's chin in the same fashion Luka had in his introduction video. Her voice while not perfect was a decent enough imitation of Adrien, as Cat Noir from the animated movie that Marinette found herself sucking in a surprised breath. She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks.

"Stop that." She squeaked and slapped Aiden's hand away. Nadia started to crack up. While Aiden pouted a little.

"But, but don't you love me anymore, Marinette. I saw all those photos in your room. Please tell me you still love me." Aiden started to make kissy faces at her. It was both funny and terrifying. The last thing Marinette wanted was any reminder of those photos. Thank God they were on the balcony where at least there was likely no audio being recorded for their conversation. She didn't want Adrien to realize how she felt especially now that he was with Kagami. The more Aiden teased her like this, the more likely it was he'd figure it out. Even he couldn't be that oblivious.

Marinette slid back to get away as Aiden slid forward to follow while still making those kissy faces. Marinette moved past Nadia and as Aiden came in with another kissy face, Marinette pushed Nadia in the way. Aiden, whose eyes had been closed while making the face, opened them suddenly when she left other lips on hers. She looked into Nadia's eyes. Nadia squinted at her in obvious irritation.

"Sowwy." Aiden mumbled without removing her lips from Nadia's. Nadia pushed the girl away and turned to Marinette who was laughing at them again. That was even better the imagined face in the boobs from earlier.

"Think that's funny do you?" Nadia asked.

"No, not at all." Marinette replied laughing as she got to her feet.

"Oh I'll show you funny, laughing girl." Nadia stated. Marinette tried to leap over the rail between the two balcony sections in an attempt to get into her room, but Nadia grabbed her before she could make it. A moment latter she found herself pinned under the larger girl. Nadia held her hands up and wiggled her fingers with a devious grin.

"You wouldn't." Marinette stated.

"Oh I would." She replied before she started to tickle her. Marinette tried to buck her off but couldn't. Aiden started to laugh and Nadia stopped. "You think you're not going to get the same treatment?" She asked. Aiden's eyes went wide as she dashed to the door. Nadia leapt up and grabbed at her but missed. Aiden closed the door before Nadia could get through and stuck her tongue out at her. Marinette snuck away and went into her own room then went around to Aiden's, who's main door was still open, and snuck up behind her. Nadia's irritated frown changed to a grin as Marinette started to tickle Aiden from behind.

* * *

**GABRIEL**

* * *

Gabriel had access to the monitors for the contest although for the most part, he didn't use them for much, but he did get to see the strange battle going on between Marinette and the two girls. **_Good, I want her to be a good terms with some of the other contestants_**, he thought with a smile**_. I'll have to make certain they also stay in the contest. Friendship can be both beautiful and painful at that age._** He continued to watch until the trio broke up for the night and went to their separate rooms.

"It seems your plan is working out just as you expected it would." He stated with out turning around.

"Yes sir, it does seem that way." Nathalie remarked. Gabriel finally turned around.

"Please step up on the stool there. I need to finish the alterations." Nathalie did as she was asked. Even with the heels on she stood tall and proud without a hint of instability. Gabriel grabbed the pincushion and attached it to his wrist. He started to set pins in the hem of the skirt she was wearing. Then he stood up and checked the side seams, adding a few pins here and there.

"I'm done." He stated and offered her a hand to help her step down. He realized he probably should have helped her get up as well, but he'd been distracted. "You can change behind the screen." He suggested as he pointed to the oriental screen he had set up in his office specifically for her to change behind.

"Yes sir." She replied softly, almost sounding a little disappointed about something. He wondered if she didn't like the outfit he'd designed for the next theme, but he wasn't going to ask her. It was his design after all, not hers. He turned back to look at the moniter. Unlike the main monitor room for the show, he didn't have a set up to look at everything at once so he mostly focused on Marinette and her "friends". He was hoping they would play the part he wanted them to, unknowingly of course. They seemed to be doing that and it brought a smile to his face.

Unfortunately, even though he was enjoying the design work he was doing, it took up more time then he had expected it would. He needed to find time for his other activities. He didn't want Ladybug and Cat Noir to get too bored. Of course there were physiological things he could consider. Not attacking could either have the superheroes become paranoid and agitated, maybe even prone to mistakes when he finally sent an akuma, or it could also cause them to become complacent and be taken by surprise when he finally released another one. Unfortunately, they might also be preparing themselves as well. It was the kind of situation where you had multiple possible outcomes, but not an idea what outcome would occur. If he started to second-guess himself he'd drive himself crazy. No, he would just need to release an akuma again soon.

* * *

**LUKA**

* * *

Luka and Jukela had taken advantage of the housing in Le Grand Paris hotel. Originally they hadn't wanted to but their mother talked them into it.

"Some of the best times I had were out on the road living in motels and hotels." Anarka said with a wistful smile. "If it wasn't for that you two might not." She stopped right there for a moment then changed the subject. "Right now, you're starting a band. I know you aren't sure if it's what you want to do for the rest of your life, so you should take this opportunity now to get a little feel for living on the road."

"Are you sure?" Juleka asked a little quietly.

"Of course, and just think about how much money I'll save if you lot are eating room service on the station's bill instead of me feeding you." She grinned. Luka laughed and the pair agreed to stay in the section booked for the models to use. It also gave them a chance to get to know the other models a little better, although Juleka didn't do much talking.

They didn't have to stay in the hotel like the contestants had to stay where they were shooting the episodes and with all the models being from outside Paris, as Marinette was the only contestant from Paris, Luka had ended up playing the part of tour guide since not even the other French Models had been to Paris. He didn't mind. He rather enjoyed it. The only part he didn't enjoy were some how of the women kept flirting with him. It was even worse when they barely spoke any French. They had a couple of translators who where available and staying at the hotel also, but that made things even more awkward. It was so much worse when it was the male translator translating for the girls. That guy especially seemed to take joy at Luka's discomfort.

Because of the language barrier instead of talking to him they would end up grabbing his arms and smushing themselves against him. They were lucky he wasn't the kind of guy that would take advantage of that kind of situation. Then again, they seemed liked they'd be fine with it if he did. It drove him nuts. It wasn't even that he was more attractive then the others guys there to model. He felt he was about average and Juleka agreed with him on that. **_Thank you dear sister for agreeing_**, he'd thought wryly at the time. No, there were two factors that had made him so attractive to them. He was in a band, one that they all looked up the music for after finding out, and what he'd said in his his introduction video.

"You are such a romantic." The translator had told him as he translated the German girl so Luka could understand. The girls who knew French agreed wholeheartedly. Then when they found out he and Marinette weren't actually a couple, that did him in. They were all hot for him and he was annoyed. That was why it was such a relief when Rose had asked him to go with her to speak with Prince Ali about the band playing. He was actually the head of the band, even if Rose was the lead singer.

Luka smiled as he looked over at Rose on their way to speak with Prince Ali. Since the prince was staying in the same hotel, it wasn't very far, but at least it got him away from the girls. He was glad that Rose was friends with his sister. Rose was such a lively extravert and Juleka was, well she was more of an introvert, but being friends with Rose did help her come out of her shell. She had a ways to go, but even a few months ago, he would never have expected his sister would want to do any kind of modeling. He attributed that to her friendship with Rose.

He still remembered the first time he'd heard Rose sing. It had come as a surprise to him. He'd been talking to Juleka about the idea of forming a band, but he hadn't been aware that Rose had climbed onto their houseboat until she'd chimed in.

"That would be so cool, could I sing for it?" Luka had been startled and looked at Rose questioningly. Rose was a fluffy pink girly pop tart that would look fully at ease in one of those Japanese sweet Lolita dresses, in fact he knew she had one. He and Juleka were more heavy metal, hard rock sorts that belonged in a punk band. He grinned and laughed.

"Sure, give me a moment, I'll write you down some lyrics really quick to try out." That was when he'd come up with the basis for the unicorn song. Honestly, he'd written it as a way to mock Rose. Not something he was proud of, but at the time he'd thought it was hilarious. He handed them to her and she smiled sweetly. He had an idea for the music so he started to play a little light fluffy pink pop tune to go with the light fluffy pink pop singer he expected Rose to be.

"Um, I don't think that fits my voice very well. Could you do something else?" She asked.

"Oh my god." He complained under his breath. "Sure, why don't you start singing and I'll jump in with what I think works for you."

"Awesome." She'd replied and looked over the lyrics again. When she started to sing, he actually dropped his guitar. That was not the singing voice he'd expected to come from her lips. She'd stopped and looked at him. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, sure I'm great. My hand slipped." He remarked and picked up his guitar. She started again and this time he played to her voice. The song he'd wrote to mock her sounded so ridiculous with it's theme compared to the style they performed it, that he knew he needed to flesh it and the music to accompany it out. It would be such surprise combination that it would get attention. That was the beginnings of Kitty Section and now Kitty Section would be playing for a prince.

When they arrived at the room, security checked them with metal detector wants and even a pat down. He thought it was a little over the top.

"They do this to me all the time." Rose mentioned noting Luka's irritation.

"I understand." Luka remarked. **_The kid was a prince after all._** The prince's chaperone awaited them on the other side of the door along with various other ministers of state. Luke suddenly found himself concerned.

"You have exactly eleven minutes to present your audition materials." She stated holding her clipboard. Luka felt a lump form in his throat. **_Audition Materials? Rose didn't say anything about those._**

"Here you are." Rose replied sounding very formal as she handed a tablet over to the woman. Luka looked at her a little surprised. Rose was more prepared then he was. Then again she'd also been the one to set this meeting up. The chaperone handed the table to one of the ministers who plugged it into a projector. A moment later a series of video clips played. Luka turned to ask Rose a question but noticed her sneaking towards a door where a young man, the prince, he assumed, was waving to her.**_ If she was going to sneak off I wish she'd better prepared me for this. _**The ministers watched the videos making comments as they did.

"Would your band be able to learn the music for our national anthem?" One of the ministers asked.

"If you can give me the sheets, we can practice it if we're given enough time."

"How much time?"

"At least a week and we shouldn't have a problem playing it." They could always cheat a bit by having copies of the sheets to look at when they actually played it.

"You'll have more then a week."

"Does our lead singer need to learn the lyrics?" He asked. That could be a little trickier.

"No, we just need the instrumental played at the beginning and end of our event."

"Then that shouldn't be a problem." Luka replied.

"Although the music you play isn't the normal fare, the Prince does love it. We are prepared to offer you the, how you say, gig." The chaperone remarked. She looked around confused. **_Probably just realized that Rose was missing_**. He noticed she rolled her eyes. **_At least she doesn't seem to upset about it._**

"That would be great." He replied. The exposure for playing for the Prince Ali would be hug and the publicity could help them get even more jobs. They could have a real chance to take their band full time if they wanted.

"Here is what we are willing to pay." Said the minister who'd talked to him earlier as he held out a piece of paper. It hadn't actually crossed Luka's mind that it would be a paid gig since Rose was friends with the prince and when he looked at the payment he nearly choked. That could cover the docking fees for the houseboat for at least a year and then some. He knew they'd be splitting it at least four ways, maybe even if they had Marinette make new costumes. **_Shit, Marinette is doing the competition, she won't have time to make costumes for us_**, he thought.

"When is the event?" He asked. They told him the date. It was over a weekend coming up. Based on the schedule for filming the show, it shouldn't affect his and Juleka's availability for filming. "We'll do it." He stated and they pulled out a contract. He watched the Chaperone walk off in the direction of the door he'd seen Rose vanish through. **_Please don't let her get mad at Rose, I really want to gig now._** He read through the contract and it was pretty standard. There was a cancellation cause in case their band couldn't perform. They would have to pay a fee that would be double the down payment they would receive upon signing the contract. That down payment was twenty-five percent of the total. Luka signed it just before the chaperone escorted Rose back to him. Rose was smiling happily though and the woman only looked mildly annoyed, the kind of mildly annoyed that came from having something happen that she was already expected to happen. After that they both were escorted out.

"We got the job." He stated.

"Aw, awesome." She replied.

"Did you have fun with your friend?" He asked feeling a little like he was talking to a ten year old.

"Uh huh." She replied her face turning a shade of red. That seemed like a weird reaction from her, but Luka just let it go. Neither he nor Juleka had mentioned where they were currently staying in order to avoid having questions asked, so he walked with her outside for a while before they split up and he headed back to the hotel dreaming about the money they were going to make.

* * *

**MARINETTE 2**

* * *

She'd taken to walking around almost daily in the warehouse. Marinette didn't want anyone to get suspicious if she suddenly went to a camera free spot without any earlier indication that she would do so. That and she was getting a little tired of being in the one room with everyone else. She would also spend a little time in the viewable areas so no one would realize she knew which spots were off camera. She always carried a sketchpad with her to make it appear as if she just wants a little time away from everyone to sketch more privately. She had no idea what themes they'd be asked to do, so having a bunch of things ready to go off of could be helpful.

Truth was though; Marinette already missed having her other friends around. It hadn't been even a week yet. How was she going to make it through the potentially numerous weeks ahead? It would be one thing if she could call and talk to Alya, but again there was so much secrecy around the show while it was being filmed, she didn't have that luxury. She'd wished she'd thought about the potential loneliness before. At least she still had Juleka and Luka on occasion.

She went to the final spot Tikki had directed her to, and she found herself in a small storeroom with a door to the outside world. She tried to open the door, but it didn't budge. She frowned. It looked as if she would need a key in order to open it, meaning it wouldn't be the easy escape route Tikki had thought it would be. Marinette wasn't really surprised. That would have been far too easy. Still the storeroom did have its possibilities. She looked around and moved some things to set up a little area for her to sketch at in case anyone came to look for her. Once that was ready, she sat down and sketched for a little while.

"Oh, there you are." One of the shows crew called out to her after about an hour.

"Huh?" She asked.

"We couldn't find you, so we got worried."

"You couldn't? Aren't there camera's everywhere?" She asked.

"Mostly." He remarked and sighed. "But this area doesn't have any."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get away from everyone for a while and hide away. Things have gotten a little crazy."

"Yeah, I know." He stated and laughed.

"Saw the tickle fight?" She asked.

"Yeah, that was pretty funny. It's going to end up in one of the episodes. The producers love that kind of interaction."

"So I guess I shouldn't hang out down here then?" She asked giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

"Um, well, not really but as long as you don't stay too long, it'll probably be fine. I imagine being with all those university students is a little awkward for you." Marinette nodded.

"That's why I was happy to find this spot. I figured none of them would come down here."

"Well, I think it'll be okay. I won't tell anyone about this." He smiled.

"Thanks." She replied and returned his smile "You're so sweet."

* * *

**NATHALIE**

* * *

Nathalie sat on stage behind a large desk, which was placed upon a slowly revolving turntable. In front of her was a screen with a keyboard, and she had a phone in hand. She sat there waiting as the contestants came pouring onto the staging area. A spotlight turned on highlighting her in the middle of the darkened stage.

"Our stock prices are up and we need to get that product to the consumers as fast as possible. We're making real headway with this business." She stated into the phone. The timing allowed the platform to turn 180 degrees before she put the phone down. She then pushed back the fine looking leather chair she sat on and stood up. Nathalie posed a moment, showing off the long pencil skirt that hugged her legs down to just above her calves with a slit on the right that went to her knee. The color was a dark purple with pinstripes. Her feet were encased in silk pantyhose or possibly stockings as well as black, high stilettoes heels whose height rivaled the ones favored by contestant Nadia. She wore a grey silk blouse with a ruffles trailing along the button line, tucked into her skirt. On top of that was a cropped suit jacket, in the same dark purple pinstripes as the skirt. It's sleeves making their way to her wrists. Her fingernails looked longer then normal and sharpened to a stiletto like point in bright red. Nathalie liked to think of them more as claws. She wore a delicate gold necklace with the Gabriel Brand butterfly on it, hanging between the cleavage that was visible with the top three buttons of her blouse undone. Her hair was in a French braid, in it's normal blackish purple and red coloring. She wore simple gold wire frame glasses with a professional appearance to her make-up, but her lips stood out colored the same bright red as her nails.

"Fashion is our business." Nathalie stated as she did a slightly exaggerated walk off the rotating platform and down the steps in front of it. Alec stood next to the stairs and took Nathalie's hand as she came down. "Whether you are the CEO of a large corporation, or the personal assistant of the most famous fashion designer in Paris, you want to look both professional and beautiful." She stated and did another dramatic pose. Honestly she felt a little bit like a fraudulent scam artist considering she did work for _the most famous fashion designer in Paris_ and tended to wear a series of nearly identical pantsuits with nearly identical turtlenecks. After seeing this design though, she really wanted to keep it for herself. If it was the sort of thing Gabriel liked, she wanted to wear it for him as much as possible. **_Stop thinking that way, that's why you were dressing so boring before. He complimented you on the pantsuit once and so you started wearing them all the time._** If she hadn't been in the spotlight she would have frowned at the thought. **_What I need to do is pay attention to what he creates for me to wear during filming and do variations on that. That will get his attention._**

"This weeks theme is Business Professional." Alec added as Nathalie did a quick turn to show off Gabriel Brand's newest entry into the professional woman's line. The crowd seemed very pleased with the design. "Unlike last weeks contest, this time, you will only be working on business attire for women, not that men can't be beautiful too." He laughed. Most of the contestants laughed though overall his joke fell flat with the audience. **_A pity laugh is worse then no laugh at all_**, Nathalie thought.

"As with last time you will be given time to draw your designs before we let you into the workshop." Nathalie stated posing again but she had her hand going across her torso with the elbow of the other settling on her wrist while she held her chin in that hand. "However lets make this a little more interesting." She grinned. "Your tablets and sketchpads have all been hidden around the warehouse where you eat, sleep, work or get supplies. You will have to find your tablets and or sketchpads before you can start. If you find someone else's, you can either hold on to it, leave it where it is, hide it someplace else, or even give it to them, but you need to find either your sketchpad or tablet before you can start designing.

"Here is a backpack for each of you to carry with you. You can place the items in here so that if you are keeping someone else's no one will know." Alec added as he handed out identical backpacks. None of the contestants looked too happy about what they'd just been told.

"Although it is possible that none of you will find your items, we're hopeful you will. If you do get your hands on either your sketchpad or tablet, you will need to hand in your backpack before you are free to start designing and we will hold onto any additional item in your bags." Nathalie explained.

"Two hours before you are allowed into the workshop, the hunt will stop." Alec stated. "One hour after that we will return the rest of the missing equipment and you will only have that last hour to prepare. Although you can use some of the production time to work on your sketches, it'll take away from your time to actually build them." Nathalie smiled seeing the looks of concern on all the contestant's faces.

"On your marks." Nathalie stated.

"Get set." Alec added.

"Go!" They shouted in unison. Most of the group took off. Marinette had stopped Aiden and Nadia though.

"We should look for all of ours and if we find them give them to each other." She suggested. The two nodded their agreement.

"And if we find anyone else's we can keep them too." Nadia suggested. Marinette looked a little uneasy about that idea.

"If you want I guess." She replied.

"Don't be such a child, this is a contest after all, and we'll want any advantage we can get." Nadia replied.

"Lets stop wasting time and go!" Aiden shouted and the three took off in different directions.

* * *

**MARINETTE 3**

* * *

She knew eventually there would be a twist, but she hadn't expected it to be this. Having to hunt for their sketchpads and tablets. That seemed a little cruel. The longer you took to find them the less time you'd have to work on your design, although she was already thinking about in her head. Being able to put the design on paper though worked much better for her. Seeing the visual of it, making changes as needed. Even the act of crumbling the paper and tossing it away helped.

Alliances happened all the time in these kinds of shows, and she had to admit, she'd pretty much formed one with Aiden and Nadia, so when the time came, she stopped them from just running off. If three of them were looking for each other's equipment as well as their own then it increased the odds of finding them.

As she started to search through the fabric room Marinette couldn't help but wonder if that had been the right decision. Not that teaming up part, but splitting up. The three of them could have done a more thorough search together. Then again splitting up means checking more places. As she glanced over she noticed Aimee was looking through stuff as well. **_Splitting up also gives us a chance to see if anyone else finds our stuff._** It felt like ever since Heart Hunter she'd been questioning so many decisions. She stopped as she found a sketchpad marked for Beau. Marinette left it where it was. Although she wanted to win, she didn't feel like she could mess with the other contestants by keeping their equipment away from them. No she wanted to win but she didn't want to feel as if she gave up her integrity to do it.

* * *

**AIDEN**

* * *

Aiden ran to the living quarters to check. She noticed something under the pillow of Marinette's bed. She went there and pulled out a sketchpad, Marinette's sketchpad. **_Wow, this was either the dumbest place to hide this or the most genus. I mean who would think to look in their own room for their hidden items. _**She slipped the sketchpad into her backpack and continued check out the room. Bianca and Bobby were in the living area as well and calling out to each other. Apparently they'd decided to team up like she, Marinette and Nadia had. Aiden grinned as she came across Beau's tablet. She grabbed it and put it in her backpack as well. Aiden cleared three of the bedrooms before running into Bianca in Everett's room.

"You find mine, give it to me, and if I find yours I'll give it to you." Aiden stated.

"Yes." Bianca replied. "No matter who finds what we show each other." Aiden nodded in agreement. Only a couple minutes later, Bianca pulled out a tablet. It was Aimee's. She smiled at Aiden and slipped it in her backpack. **_If she's gathering the equipment then I won't find anything in the rooms she already checked. I'll have to move on to another spot._**

She checked her watch. Two and a half hours had passed since they started. She'd found one other tablet but not hers, Marinette's or Nadia's. Marinette's was the only sketchpad she'd found.

"Aiden!" She heard her name called. It was Nadia. Aiden rushed over seeing as she was holding a sketchpad.

"You found mine?" She asked surprised.

"Yup. I brought it right to you." She handed it over. "Any luck?" Aiden shook her head. "You might as well get started with your designing. At least one of us should get going. We've got a lot of competition."

"Thank you." Aiden replied and rushed out of the living area.

"Oh Aiden, any luck?" Marinette asked when she saw her.

"Nadia found my sketchpad."

"That's great."

"I'm just going to turn in my bag to the hosts and start sketching. Good Luck Marinette."

"Thanks, and good luck to you too." Marinette replied before rushing off. Aiden found Nathalie and Alec sitting at the judges table waiting for her. **_Sorry Marinette_**, she thought as she handed Nathalie the backpack.

"Are you sure you want to turn it in?" Alec asked.

"I am." Aiden replied.

* * *

**NADIA**

* * *

**_I can't believe I can find everyone's but mine,_** Nadia thought as she held onto Marinette's tablet. **_Why am I so unlucky?_** She frowned and continued to look. It had been more then five hours since they started. She'd had wonder if someone had already found her stuff and were holding onto them. Besides Aiden, Aimee had also started designing. She noticed Marinette was still looking.

"Hey Marinette." She said softly.

"Oh Nadia. No luck?" She asked.

"Some. I found your tablet." She replied and handed it to her. Marinette smiled and slipped the tablet into her backpack and then continued to search. "What are you doing?"

"I'm still trying to find something of yours so you can start too."

"You don't have to."

"I know." She smiled. **_I can't believe she still looking for mine. _**They finally found Nadia's sketchpad with only four hours left before the deadline, but Marinette had helped her until the end. They joined Aiden and Aimee in starting their designs. None of t he others managed to find their own equipment, but they did find plenty of other contestant's equipment.

* * *

**NATHALIE 2**

* * *

Alec and Nathalie had decided they would ask everyone who brought in bags if they were sure about it. They wanted to give the contestants a chance to change their minds about the possible betrayal of their "friends". They suspected most of them would do so easily though. It had come as a surprise when the monitor room, through earpieces, told them that Nadia had given Aiden the one she'd found and later Marinette. It had also come to a surprise to Nathalie that Aiden actually had Marinette's sketchpad in her bag and hadn't given it to the girl. Such a betrayal could lead to additional heartbreak if Marinette learned about it. Of course they were doing everything they could to avoid that, which was kind of a shame in her opinion. What hadn't surprised Nathalie was Marinette continuing to help Nadia look even after Nadia gave Marinette her tablet. By the time all was said and done, the contestants had found every sketchpad and tablet so the crew did not need to retrieve any. If more of the contestants had been like Marinette and Nadia, they might have all been able to start working earlier.

Nathalie sat on the judges' desk with one leg crossed over the other in a very un-Nathalie like way. She was really enjoying the freedom she felt as a host. It gave her a chance to be less prim and proper then she felt she had to be as Gabriel's assistant. She wondered if she could use some of this newfound fire in her actual job. Perhaps he'd acknowledge her as a woman and not just his assistant.

In a short period of time the contestants would come down to start working on their projects and she'd be back on her feet walking around. It's why she was sitting. Nathalie wanted to rest her feet. She loved how her legs looked when she stood and walked in the heels, but she wasn't use to wearing ones as high as she had for this outfit. She made a note to wear higher ones on her off hours to get use to them so she could stand longer. She stayed sitting where she was as the contestants entered the staging area.

"Welcome contestants." She said with a smile. Even though she was sitting on the desk she still held herself in a professional manner. She noticed that Beau and Aimee seemed to be staring at her legs. It brought an excited chill to her. Her smile widened. "Some of you were given an advantage over the others simply from getting your hands on your equipment before the others. Some of you didn't even find yours at all. It'll be interesting to see what you came up with."

"Ready yourself designers because in less then a minute you'll be released to start your work." Alec stated and looked at Nathalie. "So what do you think of the weather today?"

"Oh, it was really nice outside when I went earlier. I think it'll be a hot day though." She replied. Alec grinned. The contestants were staring at the two confused.

"You know we should really consider getting a pool added to the set."

"That would be nice. I could use a good dip. GO!" She yelled. Marinette ran off to her station while most of the others jumped startled and a few more looked around in total confusion. Nathalie couldn't help but laugh at their bewildered expressions until they noticed Marinette and realized what had happened. She was impressed that the girl had been so quick to react. Gabriel was correct; she'd be an excellent akuma.

They gave the contestants about a half hour to work, noting that some were still doing sketches while others were checking out the materials. Marinette was one of the ones looking at the material already. **_She must have been considering her design even while she was searching._** Nathalie was torn about Marinette. She knew the girl was an excellent designer based on what she'd seen before and she knew Gabriel actually did like the girl's designs. If the plan failed and Marinette won, she'd be working closely with Gabriel, and Nathlaie wasn't sure she liked that idea. Not that she thought anything would happen between the two. If Gabriel wasn't going to show her affection he certainly wasn't going to do so to a teenager. Still there was that hint of jealousy at the idea Gabriel and the girl would have so much in common due to their talents in fashion design.

"I think we've given them enough time to get started." Alec said as he got up from the chair he was sitting in. Nathalie nodded and made a show of uncrossing her legs and slinking off the desk to stand next to him. She noted a slight change in his color. **_Why can't Gabriel react like that to me?_** She complained to herself. She grabbed the tablet and connected with her boss.

"Sir, we're ready to look at what the contestants are working on."

"Good, good. I love forward to seeing the designs and especially what those who had little time came up with."

"Of course sir." She and Alec headed towards Nadia's workstation. Nadia moved out of the way so Nathalie could get a good view of her sketchpad. The contestant was still going over her designs on paper.

"Ms. Lighthouse, I believe you and Marinette were the last ones to find your supplies before time ran out." Gabriel said.

"Yes Mr. Agreste." She replied.

"And this is all you've come up with so far?" His voice was a little harsh.

"Yes." He was quiet a moment but then started to go over with her the things he liked and didn't like about her design, giving more input then he had the last time. Once they were done there, the hosts went to the next contestant, and the next. Gabriel give his likes and dislike about the designs, though he was not giving them any tips.

"Mr. Beau." He said when he got to the green haired young man with the piercings. "What have you come up with?"

"It's just Beau." He stated almost automatically, but when he saw the expression on Gabriel's face change, he knew he'd screwed up. Gabriel did not say anything else to Beau and just moved on. He continued with his critiques until he got to Marinette.

"I see you've already started on a pattern." He stated.

"Yes Mr. Agreste." She replied nervously.

"Your contemporaries who started designing at the same time as you or after are still working on their designs. Why are you not?"

"Oh um, I was thinking about them while I was looking. Once I ah got the tablet I was able to draw them out pretty quickly." She remarked, her nervousness seeming to fade as she talked shop. She even pulled out the table and swiped through to show him the handful of designs and alterations she'd done.

"I am very impressed Marinette. Which design did you decide on?" She swiped back to one of the designs and showed it to him. As with the others he told her what he liked and did not like. Also as with the others he gave her no tips. Once that was over with, Nathalie and Alec returned to the judges' table to wait until it was time to go back for updates. Nathalie removed one of her shoes and started to rub her foot.

"Would you like me to do that?" Alec asked. "I've been told I have amazing hands."

"No, that's. . ." She stopped and canted her head. "Actually please do. Let me see how good you are with your hands." She realized she'd spoken in a slightly seductive tone and it had brought a smile to Alec's face, making him look very handsome. **_I just hope he didn't offer because he has a foot fetish. _**A moment later she no longer care because Alec really was good with his hands. **_Damn, he must have taken classes._**

* * *

**JULEKA  
**

* * *

She was nervous. Since Luka wasn't need this time, he hadn't come with leaving Juleka alone. It was so nerve racking to be the only one modeling this time. She felt a moment of panic while Marinette was helping her get dressed. Even though Juleka liked dressing in the more goth and punk styles, she'd never worn garters before and here she was wearing a garter belt and well, the sexist lingerie she'd ever worn before. She knew it was going to be hidden under the clothing she was going to be wearing, but still. And her breasts, they looked so much bigger with the padded push up bra. When she looked at her body in the mirror, she was surprised because it didn't look like her body. It was stranger then when she would wear a corset. Granted she wore corsets to be seen for style not so much to shrink her waist so she didn't tighten them much and they didn't give her any extra lift.

"Are you okay? Do you want to stop?" Marinette asked. **_Am I that nervous that she can tell? I can't not do it._** **_I volunteered for this. I knew what kinds of things I might end up wearing. I refuse to let her down._**

"I'm fine." She replied with a slight squeak to her voice. Marinette stood up and put her hands on her hips like a mother on a TV show would do.

"You're not fine. What's wrong? Please don't tell me everything is fine when it's not. Look what happened the last time."

"Last time?" She asked and remembered the last time she was akumatized. "We got to see Ladybug and Cat Noir switch powers. That was kind of cool." Juleka tried to joke. Marinette huffed in annoyance. "Okay, I'm not use to wearing this kind of stuff." She admitted.

"We can use your normal underwear if you want. You'll still need the garter belt though."

"No, No. I know you picked this out to go with your design. I don't want to risk mine clashing with what you've made." Marinette looked at Juleka and slipped behind her to wrap her arms around Juleka and placed her head on her model's shoulder so they were looking in the mirror together.

"Take a good look at yourself. How do you look?"

"I mean, I look good." She replied. "I can see it in the mirror, I just can't believe that's me." Marinette smiled and squeezed her.

"It's you all right. And you've been such a beautiful model for me. I couldn't have come this far without you, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She remarked then added, "I'll let you in on a little secret." Marinette slid her pants down. Juleka felt her eyes widen. "I'm wearing the same set, just a different color." Marinette pulled her pants up and moved her hands to grab the back of her own her shirt and pulled it tight so Juleka could see the change in Marinette's body.

"You did that in case I got nervous, didn't you?" She asked.

"I did, and to be honest, as first I felt a little weird too, but after a while, I got use to it and I don't know, just knowing I have it on when no one else knows, it's kind of thrilling and powerful. Weird right?"

"A little but okay." Juleka said with a smile.

"Okay?"

"I'm good with this, but I hope you plan on wearing something that shows off your body more too before we go out on stage. I don't want to be alone in that."

"I will." She replied and laughed.

* * *

**MARINETTE 4**

* * *

Although Gabriel Agreste had said that dressing in the theme wouldn't help a second time, Marinette did it anyway, sort of. She'd actually made a number of items and matched them to see what looked best as finish products, and that finish product is what Juleka was wearing. Marinette used some of the left overs on herself. Where she'd gone with a knee length pencil skirt for Juklea, she had on a knee length pleated skirt. Both wore similar blouses, but Juleka had a more mature and sexy look about it. Where Juleka had a blazer, Marinette had a sweater vest. Where Marinette had embroidery for a kind of crest on her sweater vest, Juleka had a matching pin on her blazer. She'd put a lot of thought into what she'd done.

What had really surprised Marinette was for all the nervousness that Juleka had about the lingerie Marinette put together for her, once she had the clothing added, Juleka suddenly stood tall and confident. She even continued to look at herself in the mirror. She had to admit, Juleka really pulled off the look.

"You know, once I had this on, I understood why you picked out that underwear." Juleka stated. "It does feel like, I don't know, a powerful secret." Marinette did Juleka's hair in a rather complicated looking bun, while putting her own hair in a ponytail. Juleka's make-up was more of a natural look designed to highlight her features without taking focus from them. She'd used a darker lip color that helped her lips stand out, but not be the focus of the face like Nathalie's was. For herself she did heavier eyeliner with a light shadow and a pink lip-gloss. She watched in nervousness as the judges along with Alec, Nathalie and Nathalie's tablet went around to check out the designs. She could hear the judges and Gabriel Agreste talking with the other contestants. Nadia was the one they seemed to speak with the most though. Marinette loved her design, although Aimee's was beautifully done as well. Aiden's was also good, but not as good as her rock star design had been, at least in Marinette's opinion. She noticed a few others had dressed in a similar style to the theme as well. Finally it was her turn.

"I see you also decided to dress in the theme." Gabriel Agreste stated with a bored tone.

"Yea well, sort of." She replied. "I thought about the different types of professional women, and that brought to mind the headmistress of a boarding school, so with Juleka as the headmistress, I'm her student." She smiled and as she said that Juleka turned to glare menacingly at Marinette with a heavy, wooden ruler in her hand. She then slapped the ruler hard against the palm of her other hand. The crowd in the audience got quiet a moment and that moment was broken with a surprising burst of laughter from Gabriel Agreste.

"Well played Marinette, well played. You not only went with the theme but also had a story behind it. I must say you've showed a great deal of creativity in your presentation. Nathalie let me get a closer look at the pin on the model's blazer." Nathalie stepped over and held the camera close."

"Very nice job. Creating the pin couldn't have been very easy for you."

"I printed it out as a sticker and attached it to a pin I already had. Then I coated it a number of times with a sealant to make it look more like a painted piece."

"It also looks like the design is similar to the one that was on the shirt you wore last week."

"Yes, I used that as the basis for the boarding school's crest."

"Very good, very good indeed. Thank you Marinette." The group walked away and headed back to the judges' area.

"And now we'd like to present, local newscaster and host of the nationally acclaimed show Side by Side, Nadja Chamack." Alec called out. People cheered and Marinette felt a little ill. Nadja stepped out waving to everyone and stopping to greet both Alec and Nathalie.

"Alec, I am so happy to be one of your guest judges for this episode." She stated happily. "Nathalie you look gorgeous. I don't think I've ever seen you so dressed up before."

"Thank you Nadja." Nathalie remarked. "Now I'd like to introduce you to our contestants." Nathalie turned the woman slightly and Nadja's eyes lit up when she saw Marinette.

"Oh Marinette, this explains why you haven't been available lately." She stated and everyone turned to look at her.

"Available?" Alec asked. "You know Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"Of course. She babysits my little Manon. Although she did tell me she wouldn't be able to this summer. I never would have guessed this would be the reason."

"You babysit her kid?" Aiden asked unable to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Um yeah." Marinette replied. Alec had his eyes closed like he was either thinking or trying to battle a headache, maybe both. Nathalie leaned over to whisper something to him. He nodded.

"Why don't you go around with Nathalie to check out the designs." Alec suggested. Nadja followed the suggestion while Alec went back to speak with the producers. Nathalie took Nadja around to the contestants as the other judges had earlier so she could look at the designs. She fawned over a few of them, seemed a little uncommitted about a couple and of course; she liked Marinette's design a lot.

"I know you made dolls for Manon to play with, but I didn't realize you had this kind of skill. I should have considered asking you to design something for me."

"Yeah, maybe when this is over, although you're supposed to be able to buy a version of these online after the episode airs." Marinette replied.

"Really? That's exciting news. There's a few here I really like, but I think yours and that Nadia girl have the best ones. I'll have to order them when I can." After that she went to sit with the other judges. They discussed the designs telling each contestant what they liked, didn't like and where they could have made improvements.

"Since Marinette Dupain-Cheng has a person connection to our celebrity judge." Alec paused like he was trying to keep himself from saying the word** again**. "It's been decided that she will only receive two-thirds of the points from Nadja Chamack."

"That being said, our top two designers for this week are," Nathalie paused for dramatic effect. "Nadia Lighthouse and Marinette Dupain-Cheng." The audience clapped, more loudly for Nadia then they did for Marinette. The pair headed up to the winners circle together and smiled.

"That means we now have the lowest scoring of our contestants." Alec stated. "For tonight, those two are, Bianca Sartor and Beau." The pair stepped forward to the spot in front of the judges table where Gabriel Agreste's vestige appeared on the screen.

"Ms. Sartor, you did a much better job on your rock and roll design then this one. Based on the designs shown last week I believe that to be because they fit your style more then this week's theme did." She actually nodded at his assessment. "I am aware how difficult it can be to design things you are not use to, things that do not fit your personal style. I've had to go through that myself. However, by putting forth your best effort at everything you will grow to be a better designer. You never know when something outside of your typical style can inspire you. I had had no wish to design for children or teenagers when I was starting out. Now not only have my most popular lines been for a younger audience, I've found I really do enjoy designing for them. I would like to see you grown as a designer." He finished before turning to Beau.

"Mr. Beau." He stated emphasizing the Mr. "Last week I warned you about your position and this week before I could even start to tell you my thoughts on your design, you smarted off to me." Gabriel Agreste stated. "That in itself tainted your design for me, but also it kept you from learning what it was I liked and disliked about your design and that design suffered for it. I suggest that if there is a next time you are given this sort of opportunity you do not squander it. If you have not guessed by now, you've failed and are the first to be removed from the show." Gabriel Agreste stated. Beau was just staring at the screen dumbfounded at first, and then he looked like he was ready to start yelling but managed to contain himself. Marinette felt sorry for him. She'd forgotten that eventually people would be removed, but also that Gabriel Agreste could be a mean person.

"Now back to our top two. First I'd like to speak to you Ms. Lighthouse." Gabriel Agreste started to go over what he liked about Nadia's fashion and what she could have improved upon. "Marinette, I enjoyed that you added a little bit of a storyline to your design and your own outfit as well. I think having your model glare at your and smack her hand with the ruler like a cliché headmistress really made that moment pop and it obviously amused me. Once again I'd like to say you've done well in your presentation. However, as far as the designs went, Ms. Lighthouse had the better one. Ms. Lighthouse you are the winner of this weeks challenge." Nadia started to jump up and down excitedly. Marinette went to give her a hug. The pair were careful enough not to make a scene by falling down again.

"I'm so happy for you." Marinette stated in the hug.

"Thanks, you did so good as well." Nadia replied. "I can't wait to see what you do next week."

"Me too." Marinette grinned.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**CONFESSIONALS**

* * *

These confessions were only available online and not played during the episode when it aired. Also they were only available after the episode aired.

* * *

**BEAU**

"That Mo-BEEEEEEEEEEEEP-er. I can't believe he did me dirty like that. Gabriel Agrest is a Go-BEEEEEEEEEP-mn hack. I can't believe I wasted my Fu-BEEEEEEEP-ing Time on this Fu-BEEEEEEEP-ing show. I hope that Mo-BEEEEEEEEEEEEP-er dies. I am burning all his Fu-BEEEEEEEP-ing fashions I have when I get Fu-BEEEEEEEP-ing Home!"

* * *

**NADIA**

"I was so nervous when I was called up and especially after Marinette was. She babysits for the judge. How can that Nadja woman not award Marinette more points. I bet she would have beat me if they hadn't deducted some of those points. I don't know if I should be happy or mad about it. Did I really do better then her? Did I only win because her points were reduced? Even if she had gotten full points and beat me, would it just be because of her relationship with the judge. It's like I don't honestly know how good I am thanks to that. It makes me so mad!"

* * *

**AIDEN**

"I know I've aligned myself with Nadia and Marinette, but after the Jagged Stone thing, I really thought she needed a bit more of a handicap. Maybe I should have talked to Nadia about it. I heard she was the one who found Marinette's tablet and gave it to her. We could have be more in sync and kept those from Marinette. She wouldn't have known. Then again, Marinette continued to help Nadia look afterwards and wasted her own designing time. Oh and of course she knows the second judge. She's her babysitter. Unreal."

* * *

**MARINETTE**

"I do babysit Nadja Chamack's daughter Manon. My mom actually volunteered me for it a couple of years ago. Nadja had come into the bakery. She was a regular and was on her phone talking to her previous babysitter who needed to cancel. My mom overheard it and suggested I could watch her daughter instead. Manon liked me better then her previous one and Nadja asked me if I would continue, and I did. I mostly enjoy it. Manon can be a handful but she can also be really sweet."

* * *

**NOTES**

* * *

Something I didn't work in this time, but maybe next time it'll get mentioned officially, but I wanted to note someplace that the contestants got to approve the consumer version of their fashions that would be sold through the show's website.

**More typos.**

Gabriel Agreste = Bagriel Agrates.

**_Final Line_**

Luka and Jukela had taken advantage of the **housing** in Le Grand Paris hotel.

**_First draft_**

Luka and Jukela had taken advantage of the **hosing** in Le Grand Paris hotel.

**_I wonder how they would have taken advantage of the hosing in Le Grand Paris._**

**Okay, so I started writing this.**

_Nathalie if you would be so kind." He stated. Beau was just staring at the screen dumbfounded. He looked like he was ready to start yelling, but then Nathalie came out with a backpack and a long pipe in her hands. She walked over to Beau's station._

**_That looks like, no it can't be_**_, Marinette thought. Then suddenly flame erupted from the pipe_

I thought it would be super dramatic to have the losing fashion burned with a flame thrower, but then I remembered that living people were modeling them and that would be murder.

When I was looking up some information on Rose I noticed a comment about her eyes, and then I started looking at some images and I think she might have the largest eyes of all the characters, but the more I looked at her eyes the more terrified I became of them. Lol

On a Side note, it looks like most of the celebrities we've seen on Miraculous are Female. I would like to do a business outfit for men theme, but when I look at the known celebrities who are male I get

Gabriel Agreste

Alec

Jagged Stone

XY

Bob Roth

Gabriel is already a judge, Alec is hosting and Jagged Stone already judged. XY looks like he wouldn't have a clue how to even wear a suit and Bob Roth looks like he wouldn't know a nice suit if Armani handed him one.

So I can't think of anyone would work for it. We have some minor celebrities in the acting troupe, but I don't think they would be good enough celebrities for the game show. Let me know if I missed anyone.

On a side note, I threw up a little in my mouth when I wrote that Manon could also be sweet.

**Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Unfortunately my area has had a spike in known cases.**

**Peace and Love!**

And don't forget, I love reading your reviews and I try to answer them. They invigorate me!


	6. Chapter 6

**Gabriel's Obsession 6**

* * *

**JULEKA**

* * *

Juleka arrived at Nathaniel's home. She'd called him earlier because she wanted a favor that she thought only he could provide, or at least provide well and be slightly less embarassing.

"Hi Juleka." He greeted her as he opened the door for her. She entered.

"Thank you for your help." She said softly, her shyness showing.

"You're welcome, but it's a little weird don't you think?" He asked. She nodded. Her request was due to being Marinette's model on the show, but not at Marinette's request. She just thought this would help with the next possible theme. Before she'd left the last time, Marinette had spoken to her in private.

"I think maybe Nathalie and Alec were giving us clues to the next theme when they were talking to each other before we started our trial. They'd talked about a pool and swimming. I think maybe next week's theme is going to be swimwear."

"That makes sense."

"What kind of swimsuit do you wear?" Marinette asked.

"A bikini." Juleka replied without much thought. Granted she had to put on a lot of sunblock with it, but she liked her bikini, as did Rose. Of course Rose helped her pick it out too. Marinette actually looked a little surprised, but then they'd never done swimming together outside of school and the school actually had uniform swimwear for the students.

"What kind of swimwear would you be comfortable wearing for the show?" That caused Juleka to freeze up. She'd been to the beach with Rose and seen by hundreds of people in her little bikini and she'd been a little nervous about it, but being with Rose countered that nervousness. Rose had also been amused since Julika's black bikini had a skull on the front of her bottoms and Rose wore a frilly pink two-piece with roses on her butt. She'd said it was like they were polar opposites.

"I'll wear whatever you come up with." Juleka stated.

"No, seriously. I want to make sure you're comfortable with it. "

"Based on what you've done so far, I am going to assume you'll also be wearing one for the presentation so I'll be allright. I'll have you there with me." Marinette got a little quiet at that for a moment.

"Thank you Juleka." She replied and hugged her.

The problem Juleka had was her pale skin. She used a lot of sunblock and not because she wanted to be pale, but because she burned easily. If they were doing something with swimwear, she wanted to have a tan, but again she burned, not tanned. She started looking at the liquid tans at the cosmetics section but she was afraid they would turn her skin a weird color. If that happened it could ruin Marinette's chances in the next contest. She needed something more certain. Then she remembered that Alix had Nathaniel airbrush her body purple to cosplay as some chick from Overwatch. She called him up and asked her is she could airbrush a tan onto her. He agreed to.

Nathaniel set up a spot to do the airbrushing in the shower of his bathroom. The walls and floor would be easy enough to clean afterwards. He'd picked out a color that would give Juleka a nice tan color without going so far that it looked unnatural.

"So I guess change into your swimsuit and I can paint you." Prior to agreeing to do this, he'd recommended she bring a swimsuit she didn't care if it got ruined, but also left the skin she wasnted covered, exposed. Though the paint he used would eventually wash off her skin, it could still stain the fabric.

"So um here's the thing, I don't know what I'll be wearing yet so I need you to um do ahhh all over." She requested. Nathaniel's eyes went wide.

"Say again?" He asked. It had taken Juleka so much nerve to do this and she could feel her face heating up, but she was committed to do it. Marinette had wanted to stay within Juleka's comfort zone with the swimwear, and she felt she could step out of it a little to make sure she looked her best when she wore it.

"I have those little covers for um, you know those spots, so I just need um my whole body done."

"Are you serious?" He cried. She nodded, her embarrassment heating up her face even more. "I know you know I'm seeing Marc currently, but you do know I also like girls right? You're asking me to paint your entire naked body. Your entire naked girl body. A body type I have not seen naked in real life."

"I know, but you did this for Alix." She remarked.

"Yes, but only for the bits that were exposed. She was mostly covered in her costume. I didn't see any of the good parts." If she had been someone else, she might have questioned his "good parts" comment, but she was Juleka and didn't really have it in her to say anything. Instead she took a deep breath and considered carefully her next words.

"I trust you not to do anything weird. You're my friend and I don't think you'd do anything to hurt me." Her words had her convictions behind them. She knew he'd chased after Marinette well before he'd met Marc. She knew he liked girls and boys, but she also knew that he didn't have any strong desire towards her, so she figured he'd be a safe choice. Plus he was very professional when it came to his art and she was kind of giving him an art commission.

"Fine, I'll do it." He stated sounding a little annoyed. Juleka smiled but still felt a little sick to her stomach knowing she would soon be practically naked in front of him.

* * *

**LUKA**

* * *

Aside from the things he'd been told by his sister, Rose and Alya, Luka didn't know much about Chloe Bourgeois. That made him a little more curious about her. The way it sounded, in school at any rate, Chloe and Marinette were like mortal enemies, but Marinette rarely talked about her. The person she complained about the most was Lila Rossi. He wondered what caused such a disconnect in the stories he heard. According to Alya, Lila was a pretty decent person, but to Marinette, Lila was the living embodiment of Satan. He wasn't sure how different people could have such a wide range in their opinions of the same person.

He opened the door to the therapy meeting for the Post Traumatic Akumatization Syndrome victims. He knew Alya wanted nothing to do with the group, but he wanted to check it out anyway. He wondered if he should have brought Max with though. Max seemed to have the most interest in the meetings. He sighed. **_Too late now._**

"Welcome." A blonde girl said when he entered. "Just so you know, you don't have to tell us who you are or which akuma you were if you don't want to." She stated. The girl was dressed casually, wearing denim shorts, thigh hi stockings and a yellow and black tank top and black sneakers. Her hair was pulled in a bun with a black ribbon tied around it, sticking up like bunny ears. **_Or antenna_**, he realized. The blonde girl was Chloe Bourgeois and she looked nothing like what he'd seen on TV. From what he'd heard from everyone she seemed like she'd always dress in a more fancy, fashionable way, but this was like super casual. He looked her over again and stopped at the sneakers. **_Ah, that explains it,_** he thought. He recognized the brand as extremely expensive. **_She might be going for a casual look but I bet each piece of clothing she's wearing costs more then my favorite guitar._**

"Of course I have made sure I was familiar with everyone known akuma and who it was. Although, I'm pretty sure almost everyone here is familiar with them as well." **_She certainly has a certain attitude going._** "But we'll pretend like we don't in case it embarrasses you."

"Thanks, I guess, but doesn't announcing that ahead of time sort of nullify that reasoning?" He replied. Surprise burst on Chloe's face.

"Oh. My. God. I never thought of that." She even looked a little panicked. "How could I be so insensitive?" **_Well, from what I heard that's all you are, _**he thought but did not say. This version of Chloe did not fit the image he had in his mind.

"Anyway, My name is Luka, and I was Silencer." He stated.

"Welcome Luka." She replied and he realized she was looking him over, like really looking him over, like he was a piece of meat at a steak house.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you from somewhere?" She asked at last. **_According to Alya, she knows all of us who had miraculouses, but unless she is extremely stupid, I can't image she'd be talking about that right now. She hasn't said anything anywhere else about knowing our identities. In that case she'd have to be thinking of something else, but what? Oh I know._**

"I'm in a band, maybe you've seen us play?" He suggested.

"Hm, that's probably it." She seemed to think for a moment then added. "Kiddy Sanction?"

"Kitty Section." He corrected.

"Oh yes, that's it. You were on TV with that horrible Bob Roth guy. " Luka couldn't help but smile when she said that.

"We were, yes."

"It looked like a couple of my classmates were in the band too, but I could be mistaken."

"You're not mistaken, my sister Julelka," He stated and saw her wince at the name. "Her friend Rose, and Ivan." She didn't react as much to those names. Juleka had nothing nice to say about Chloe, so her reaction wasn't unexpected. "Sometimes Adrien Agreste sits in with us, though he's never played with us at a gig." Chloe really perked up at the name Adrien.

"I'm surprised my Adri-kin's dad would let him do that." She remarked.

"It gives him a chance to practice piano with other people, I think that's why he allows it even if he's not allowed to play with us publicly. Which is a shame, his piano adds another dimension to our music. "

"I would love to hear that sometime, but I doubt your other band mates would appreciate me being there." He couldn't argue with her on that point.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He remarked. She looked a little hurt by the comment.

"Anyway, please have a seat, we'll be starting shortly. Oh and we have snacks as well over there." She pointed to a table with some pastries and what looked like pots of coffee, tea and water.

"Thanks." He went and got himself a coffee and a pastry. He was fairly certain it was from Marinette's bakery. **_I thought she hated Marinette, why would she support her bakery? _**He was very confused. Luka joined the others at the circle of chairs and listened as they talked. Much like Chloe had, Luka found Mr. Ramier's story the most interesting. He'd only been akumatized once and hadn't experienced that, but he knew his sister had been three times so he was concerned for her, but, as far as he knew she did not have any nightmares about it.

Aside from that, there were a few others he recognized, a couple of Juleka's classmates and the fat idiot cop who liked to harass his mother. Some people he had no idea who they were except maybe seeing them on TV after they'd been de-akumatized. All of them talked about what happened and how it affected their lives. Some of them were afraid to show too much emotion in case it led to them being possessed again. Possession was an interesting way for them to put it too. He hadn't thought of it that way before, but it made a little sense. He couldn't remember what happened, aside from losing the time. Marinette had asked him such a strange question afterwards and that made him wonder what he'd done or said while he'd been "possessed". Luka also noted that there was someone who seemed to be a therapist sitting next to Chloe, but the woman let Chloe run the meetings and only occasional spoke in a more therapeutic manner.

"Now if everyone is ready, lets practice our relaxation techniques", was the therapist's main contribution to the meeting. She went over a number of breathing and stretching exercises designed to relax the body and mind. It reminded Luka a little of the yoga his mother did.

"Thank you for coming." Chloe said to him once the meeting was over. "I hope we were able to help you while you were here. If you come back again, please feel free to speak." She smiled.

"I'll admit I was curious as to what you were doing here." He remarked giving her a return smile. "I wasn't really sure how this would be helpful, but I think I get it now."

"I'm glad to hear that. It's amazing, utterly amazing to me when I can help people get the help they need." She replied and nibbled on her lip a little. "Since you're friends with some of my classmates would you like to talk a little more, maybe we can stop by a café or something." Luka's first thought was to say no, but then he stopped himself.

"Sure, why not."

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

She'd known who he was as soon as he walked in, the cute guy who wore the trashy clothing, although this time he was dressed nicer and she certainly appreciated it. She'd taken the time to memorize all of the people who'd been akumatized. The Ladyblog was a great help in that. She recognized Luka, the person who'd become Viperion, as Silencer. She was actually rather excited to see one of the other miraculous users show up. She really wanted to talk to him about that, but then she remembered she wasn't supposed to have her memories, blah blah blah. She only suspected Ladybug had mentioned it to the others, she had no proof, but maybe this was her chance to get that proof.

"Sure, why not." Luka had replied to her invitation. **_Good we can talk alone somewhere_**, Chloe thought and smiled to him. **_Maybe he'll say something about also being a miraculous holder and that will give me an opening. Besides when he dresses nicely, he looks really hot. _**Luka was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, with a plain button up shirt and a leather jacket. When he'd turned to grab a snack Chloe had focused right in on his butt. He definitely had it going on.

Although Chloe knew she could get free food if she went to her daddy-kins's hotel, she choose instead to go to a little café closer to where they were holding the meetings. She knew she could have done everything in the hotel of course, but then more focus would have landed on her daddy-kins and she wanted it on herself.

"Knowing that your sister doesn't like me, what made you decide to come to my group?" Chloe asked. She generally acted like everyone loved her, but she wasn't really that out of touch. Usually she just ignored it and pretended that most of her classmates didn't dislike her, well her female classmates. Obviously all the boys loved her, how could they not. She was the most beautiful girl in school.

"I wanted to check it out. I don't know much about you aside from what others have said." He paused like he was considering something else but didn't continue which gave her an opening to comment before he could speak again.

"I would love to twirl my hair and just say, I bet it's all be good, tee hee hee, but I know it's not." Chloe replied somberly.

"You are not coming across as how I expected you to." Luka admitted.

"Is that good or bad?" She asked. She wanted to flirt with him, but she didn't want to chase him away either. She came on strong with Adrien all the time, but they'd been friends since childhood. He knew how she was already. This boy did not. Luka was probably lucky Chloe didn't know his connection with Dupain-Cheng, otherwise she might have gone for him full force just to try and hurt Dupain-Cheng.

"I'm not sure yet." He gave her a roguish smile. She laughed. They ordered something small to eat, more of a snack then anything else. She got a cappuccino and he got milk tea to drink. They sat and talked about her PTAS group and why she started it. She told him everything that she'd had put in the press release that went out with her press conference. She'd memorized all of that in case she was interviewed, however she didn't word it exactly the same. Doing that would make it sound fake, and she did not want it to sound fake. The problem she was having with their conversation was he was not talking about the miraculouses. Everyone knew she was Queen Bee, so that should have been enough of an opening.

Over all, however, it had been a pleasant talk for Chloe. Luka was a gentleman and she enjoyed talking to him. If he came back to group, she could certainly continue to work on him. Perhaps she could get him on her side**_. Now that I think about it, I don't know if they all know who each other are. I wish I'd been paying more attention to what was going on around me while I was Miracle Queen. _**

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

Things had been a little more awkward for Marinette after the previous episode, or more specifically after the previous judging. She couldn't believe she'd known the first two judges like that. She tried to rack her brains on other celebrities she knew, but as she thought about it, the ones she could think of had really interacted with Ladybug, not her. She should be fine for the rest of the judgings. Aiden still talked to her as did Nadia, but the others had kept their distance. Even so, Aiden and Nadia seemed little put out by the turn of events.

"So, you remember when Nathalie and Alec were talking about wanting to swim?" Marinette asked Nadia and Aiden when they were together eating. She'd originally planned on keeping her theory to herself, but she really didn't want to loose the two friends she's made and be alone for however long she remained in the competition.

"You mean when they were distracting us?" Nadia asked.

"Yeah, that. I was thinking that maybe it wasn't just a distraction. I think it may have been a hint for the next theme." Marinette explained.

"That does make a certain amount of sense." Aiden agreed. She looked around towards everyone else. No one seemed to be paying attention to them or even working on any designing.

"I've been drawing different swimsuit designs. I thought it would be good to be prepared for it." The other two nodded.

"We could be a little ahead of the game then. Even if you end up being wrong, all we've done is waste a little of our free time." Nadia agreed.

"I'm in my love." Aiden added while making kissy faces at Marinette again. She rolled her eyes. **_If Aiden's doing that again, things must be okay._** Marinette felt relief flood through her. She really didn't want to loose these two new friends.

* * *

**THE PREVIOUSLY RANDOM CREW MEMBER WHO'D SPOKEN TO MARINETTE**

* * *

Julien Simon had been assigned to watch the monitors during one of the nights before the filming of episode four. His job was to note anything interesting that could be used in the episode. Basically his current duty was to be a paid voyeur. He'd earlier caught Nadia, Aiden and Marinette talking about the possible next theme and had marked that information down. The crew themselves were not generally informed of anything to avoid any accidental slippages of information.

He made note of Aimee Sartor sneaking out of her room and into Everett's room. He looked over at the camera in Everett's room as she entered. Aimee and Everett were starting to make out with Aimee pulling up Everett's shirt as they kissed.

"That dude is pale as hell." Julien commented as he continued to watch. "They know they're being filmed and anything they do on camera can be used in the show. You'd think they'd use more discretion." He continued to watch the pair as more clothing came off. Being as distracted as he was, Julien did not notice that Bianca had slipped out of her room and was making her way through the halls and down the stairs attempting to avoid the cameras as much as possible until she came to the workshop area.

She went to Marinette's station and unscrewed the cover on her sewing machine. She'd pocketed a number of tools throughout the last few days in case she needed them. She pulled out some wires and rubbed them against each other and pulled on them until the rubber coating thinned and broke. She then set them back mostly in place but made certain the wires were touching some of the metal components as well. After that was done she headed back to the living quarters.

Julien had missed the entire incident, as he'd been far too busy enjoying the performance Aimee and Everett were giving on his monitor.

* * *

**MARINETTE 2**

* * *

As a group, the contestants were led to the staging area, except they weren't going to in the normal location. That caused a number of excited whispers throughout the group.

"You know, if this was a movie, we'd be on our way to be slaughtered by some monster or sacrificed to some cultish god." Everett commented. The others groaned. As they continued Marinette recognized the path they were taking. They would be going through the storage room she used that was out of the camera sight. The member of the crew leading them unlocked and opened the door and led them outside where they came on a very different view then they expected.

They were in the back of the building, the opposite side that their rooms were on, and it was covered in sand. As Marinette looked further she saw a large swimming pool and across from that was a half dozen or so large beach umbrellas set up. Under one was a beach chair with Nathalie lounging on it, one leg straight out, the other knee bent up. In front of her chair were a pair of wedge-heeled sandals with a sort of straw like design to the heels, the straps a delicate pink color. She was wearing what appeared to be a one-piece swimsuit in purple. The bottom of which was cut high on the thighs, and the front split into two pieces exposing Nathalie's **_(pierced?)_** bellybutton. A pink ribbon like belt circled about her hip area just below the split. The cloth from the suit went up to cover her breasts separately, though leaving an opening for side cleavage to be shown. A thin black chain linked the cloth just above her breasts, even as the cloth continued up and around her neck. A series of black chains linked the sides of the suit and went around the back to connect to the opposite side.

She wore a large straw hat with purple and pink ribbons as the band around the crown. A pair of purple, heart shaped frame sunglasses covered her eyes. She had one hand out delicately holding a Champaign glass out, with her fingernails painted in pink with a purple accent nail on her ring fingers. She wore a couple of black bangle bracelets on that wrist. Next to her was a table holding a second drink and a bottle of Champaign. Opposite of that was a second beach chair with Alec resting on it. He was in the process of pulling off a burgundy tank top, his arms crossed over each other to grasp opposite sides of the bottom hem. His top was raised enough to fully show of his well-muscled six-pack. One of the girls whistled appreciably as she stared at him. As he finished taking off his shirt, he stood up showing off the tight swim briefs that held nothing back from imagination.

"Daaaaaamn." Nadia breathed next to Marinette. Alec slipped his feet into a pair of double buckle sandals and slipped his mirrored aviator sunglasses down over his eyes. He turned and bent over to grab a metal detector that was leaning against the umbrella's post. "Double Daaaaamn." Nadia added at the sight. Neither of the hosts spoke as the contestants stared. Alec walked a few paces before a rather loud beeping came from his metal detector. He squatted down and started to dig through the sand.

"Did you find something darling?" Nathalie asked, emphasizing darling with more seductive tones.

"Yes my dear I have." He pulled out a cylinder and stood up. Nathalie slipped her feet down to her wedges before standing up and wrapping a pink sheer Sarong around her waist before slinking over towards him as he held the object up for her. She took it gingerly from his hands. The cylinder had something written on it.

"Look here, it says, fifteen minutes." There were some more beeps from Alec's metal detector and he pulled out a few more cylinders and handed them to Nathalie. "This one says thirty minutes and this one has forty-five on it. Oh that last one you found says one hour. You know I think these are some of the legendary time cylinders."

"That would mean there are many more of them hidden on this beach then." Alec stated as he turned to the contestants. "And you know, I think we should have our fine contestants locate as many of legendary time cylinders as they can."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Nathalie replied and clapped, causing her bangles to jingle against each other. "We can use that to determine how much time each contestant has to use in making their designs for this week's contest."

"That sounds great. We can add up all the time on the cylinders they collect and they can use that for both their design and building time." He replied. "Unfortunately we only have a few metal detectors sitting around here," Alec pointed to some of the other beach umbrellas surrounding the pool where five metal detectors were leaning against the different posts. "I guess some of them will have to just see how lucky they get without them."

"That could certainly put them at a disadvantage couldn't it?" Nathalie remarked. "But the legend goes there is also the legendary sphere here with it's marking of five hours on it. That would certainly go a long way to helping with the time."

"Yes it would, however, we can't just have them keep looking forever though can we?" Alec asked. Even as they were speaking crewmembers were handing out messenger bags for the contestants to hold the cylinders they found.

"No, we can't, lets give them two hours to search, starting right NOW!" She yelled the last part. The contestants scrambled. Someone shoved Marinette to the ground before she even had a chance to start running. She lifted her head up and spit out some sand before getting her feet, but it was too late. The metal detectors had all been claimed.

* * *

**NATHALIE**

* * *

When Gabriel showed her the swimwear he'd designed for her to wear during the filming of the next episode, Nathalie had loved it. It was gorgeous. She also realized that Gabriel was using color schemes that suited her in his designs. She loved that he was being that thoughtful. When he'd suggested the belly button piercing, she was more then happy to get it for him. Anything that he liked was fine in her book.

"No, no Nathalie. I don't expect you to actually get a piercing for this contest. No need to mare your delicate skin that way. We'll just us a fake one." He'd told her. His concern over her skin had gotten to her. He was truly thinking about her. Being his model seemed to bring them closer together. It was more then she could have hoped for. She knew Emilie had modeled for him before they'd become a couple. Maybe this was her way into his heart.

The crew had been working on the beach set-up for the last two weeks and it had turned out great. Aside from the pool being an obvious pool, the rest felt like a real beach, and she hadn't gone to one in years. In times like this, the show felt a little like a vacation. She'd only wished the Champaign was real and not just sparkling apple juice. Alec helped her with her pose to give off that sexy relaxed vibe before preparing himself for when the contestants were led to the scene. Her and Alec had practiced their lines for a few hours to make sure they did them correctly, although they were open to adlibbing, which is how the "legendary" comment came about. It seemed like a more fun way to introduce this trial to the contestants.

Since Nathalie got to see much of the scenes that were being put into episodes as well as well as what was being cut, it didn't come to a surprise to her at all that Aiden had shoved Marinette to the ground as soon as she yelled "Now". Aiden was certainly acting all friendly to Marinette to her face, but she was probably the one who most resented Marinette's relationships with the judges. The show was going to get very interesting.

* * *

**MARINETTE 3**

* * *

Aiden, Aimee, Bobby, Bianca and Everett were the ones who'd gotten their hands on the Metal detectors. That left no metal detectors for Marinette and Nadia to use. Marinette started to dig through the sand hoping the cylinders weren't hidden too deep. She could already hear the metal detectors going off. She looked up and saw Nadia run over to Alec.

"Does this one actually work or is it just a prop?" She asked.

"It works." He replied.

"Great." She said and pulled it out of his hands and started to use it. Nathalie started to laugh.

"We never specified this one was off limits." Nathalie stated while still laughing. Alec grinned. **_At this rate I'll be lucky if I find anything, _**Marinette thought. She stood up and looked around. Everyone was spread out looking through the sand. She looked down and noticed that there was also sand in the pool. **_They wouldn't have, would they?_** She noticed a slight glimmer in the sand at the bottom of the pool and started to pull her shirt up over her head as she kicked her shoes off. She was glad she'd put on a sports bra earlier in case they had to run around again. The shorts she'd she picked out had been good choice as well since they wouldn't weigh her down too much if they got wet. With everyone else distracted, she quickly buried her shirt and shoes in the sand before she slipped into the pool quietly and dived down. The pool was a lot deeper then it looked. It must have been at least twice her height and then some.

The glimmer in the pool turned out to be a cylinder and it had one hour written on it. She started to ran her hand thought the sand, closing her eyes to keep any if the disturbed bits from going into her eyes, wishing she'd had some swim goggles. She found a second cylinder before she needed to go back up for air. When she did so, she went as close to the side of the pool as she could. She didn't want anyone to see her if she could help it. The second cylinder also had one hour written on it. She took a deep breath and went down again wishing she could have transformed in Aqua-bug. She found another cylinder and another. **_They must have put a lot down here thinking it would be the last place anyone would look,_** she thought. With the sand being disturbed as much as it was with her hands flailing around in it, she didn't bother looking at any more of the cylinders she found, they just went into her bag, which was getting heavier. The bag started to weight her down and she was getting tired. She felt like she couldn't hold her breath as long either.

On her ninth or maybe tenth dive down she felt metal that wasn't a cylinder. She'd found the legendary sphere. She let out a little scream of joy before realizing she was underwater and nearly choked on it. She slipped the sphere into her bag and swam back up. It was even harder with the sphere in hand. She breathed hard as she clung to the side. There was no ladder in the pool to hold onto either for rest. **_A ladder would be really nice so I could set my bag on it to take some of this weight off me. _**She thought for a moment about leaving her bag on the edge of the pool and going back down without it, but someone could take it. She wasn't naïve enough to think the show wouldn't allow it. They let Nadia take Alec's Metal detector after all. Not to mention the last trial had allowed people to keep everyone else's equipment to hinder their design process. No, she was pretty sure stealing someone else's bag and cylinders would be allowed. She could leave the bag at the bottom of the pool though. Until someone else came in, it would be safe. She'd just need to be careful about it and the moment someone else jumped in the pool, she'd have to go get her bag.

"What happened to Marinette?" She finally heard at what had to have been around an hour and a half into the trial. She'd been holding onto the side of the pool for at least ten minutes trying to rest, while still keeping herself out of everyone's sight. She felt like that was her cue and dove back down just as she heard, "are those her shoes and shirt in the sand. **_I guess I should have hidden those better._** She made it to the bottom of the pool and her bag. She pulled on the strap. It was so heavy now. She slipped it over her shoulder and across her body. She used its weight to hold her against the bottom with her knees bent under her. She pulled up on the bag to grasp it at her chest before using all her strength to jump from the bottom. As she started going up she heard the sound of a body hitting the water. She kicked with her legs and let go of the bag, raising her hands up to grasp the side of the pool just as she felt the tug of the bag pulling down. She gripped the side for dear life, her head still under the water and pulled with all her might until her head was above and she could breath. Marinette fought to pull herself and her bag out of the pool as another person or two jumped in. She wasn't paying attention to them though. Her only thought was to get out of the water.

"Need a hand?" Aimee asked from above her.

"Yes please." Marinette groaned.

"You must have a lot of cylinders in that bag of yours. It looks really heavy." She was smiling, a little too large of a smile. She got on her knees with one hand on the edge before using the other to open the flap on Marinette's bag. "Let me relieve some of your burden." She started reach into the bag. Marinette gritted her teeth and with as much strength as she could muster raised a leg to kick the hand Aimee was using to balance herself out from under her. Aimee went into the water and tried to grab at Marinette but with the momentum of the kick, Marinette was able to get her leg onto the edge of the pool and finish pulling herself out. She took a number of deep breaths before standing up.

"You damned bitch!" Aimee yelled at her as she came to the surface. Marinette stood up and noticed Aimee's bag sitting on the side of the pool. Marinette grabbed the bag and smiled.

"Call this compensation for trying to steal from me." Marinette stated and walked away. Aimee screamed in rage and pulled herself out of the pool. She rushed at Marinette. The alarms for the trial rang out just before Aimee tackled Marinette. She was screaming like a maniac and a couple of the crewmembers had to pull her off her victim. Alec and Nathalie rushed over to help, as did the contestants who weren't in the pool. Alec helped Marinette up and she could feel something hot and sticky pouring from her nose.

* * *

**NATHALIE 2**

* * *

Stealing someone else's cylinders had been expected. Nathalie even watched Bobby basically pick pocket Everett's and Bianca's bags and grab a few cylinders from both of them. When she'd seen Marinette strip to dive into the pool her first thought was **_Good Girl_**. She knew they'd placed the sphere and a number of high time cylinders in bottom figuring the metal detectors would be a huge distraction to the players and almost no one would think to jump in. When Marinette had been one of the only two who hadn't gotten the metal detector she'd been thrilled. Her and Nadia both were without so they might consider going into the pool to look, especially with one of the cylinders partially visible.

"Does this one actually work or is it just a prop?" Nadia had asked and Nathalie turned to look at the girl. It hadn't occurred to her that someone would want to grab Alec's. It was a bold move and she approved of it.

"It works." Alec told her and before he could tighten his grip on it, it was out of his hands.

"Great." Nadia ran off using the metal detector as she went

"We never specified this one was off limits." Nathalie couldn't stop laughing. It had been a creative solution to the lack of them. She stopped laughing the moment she saw Marinette eyeing the pool before stripping to go in. Nathalie found her attention going back to the pool, but she noticed that Marinette almost never came back into view. She even checked with the monitor room to make sure the girl was okay. They really didn't need anyone to drown on the show. The crew watching the monitors told her Marinette was doing fine. She had to give props to the girl for keeping out of sight while she looked. Everyone else was concentrating on the sand with the metal detectors, none of them noticed Marinette in the pool until it was practically too late.

**_Is Aimee really going to help her out?_** Nathalie wondered. Once the contestants had noticed Marinette's clothes and went to the pool, her and Alec felt safe enough to move and change their positions. They hadn't wanted to affect what the contestants had been doing, or simply put, they didn't want to draw attention to Marinette's position since no one had noticed. The monitor room kept them and the safety crew informed on Marinette's progress in the water, so they were aware of her getting noticeably tired. If she looked like she wasn't going to make it back to the surface, they had people ready to rescue her, but she hadn't needed it. The first time there was any real concern was when she was trying to get her bag off the bottom, but she'd managed.

Those in charge of the cameras got a perfect view of Aimee trying to steal Marinette's cylinders. It was the kind of drama that would be ratings gold for a show like this. Nathalie nearly cheered when she saw Marinette kick Aimee's arm out from under and cause the little thief to fall into the pool. What had come to a surprise to Nathalie was Marinette actually taking Aimee's bag afterwards. She did not think the girl had it in her. **_I guess it is possible to push even Marinette too far. The more I see her here the more I can see how strong she could be akumatized. Gabriel is right about getting her on our side._**

"Wow, did you see that?" Alec asked.

"I did, and I was impressed." Nathalie agreed. "And times almost up too. Did we have anything planned for if someone didn't manage to get any cylinders?"

"Nothing official, we weren't really expecting it to happen." He remarked. "We'd talked about giving everyone at least two hours plus what they found, but it was still undecided."

"That might be the only way Aimee. . ." Nathalie was cut off by a scream from the girl. "Holy shit!" She heard the alarm going off just before the tackle. She and Alec rushed over to get there just in time to see Aimee dragged kicking and screaming away from Marinette. She was the first one to notice Marinette's bloody nose and pulled her sarong off and used it to stop the flow of blood. They had a medical person available in case something unforeseen happened and they took Marinette to her.

A few hours later all the contestants were waiting at their spots. Marinette's nose had not been broken; it had just been bloodied, however her right eye ended up bruising as well. There had been a discussion as to what to do about it, in the end the producers decided to not cover up her blackened eye, as it was part of the event. Nathalie wasn't sure she approved of the decision. She knew it would be good for the show, but it also made Marinette more sympathetic as well and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Well, I saw the footage of what had occurred during the time trial." Gabriel said from the large screen. "While I do not have any issue with being sneaky or underhanded in this contest, there are two things that I am appalled by. The first would be stealing someone else's design. The second is violence. While I had no issue with Miss. Beaufort attempting to steal time from Marinette's bag, as it is all part of the game, and even Marinette using her leg to cause Miss Beaufort to fall in the water during that attempt to save her time was fine. I cannot however, condone the attacking of another contestant. I saw both the bloody nose and black eye Marinette received, and I am very disappointed in you Miss. Beaufort."

"I am sorry Mr. Agreste." She spoke her voice wavering slightly like she was about to cry.

"I am not the one you owe an apology too." He stated coldly. Aimee looked up and over at Marinette. She obviously didn't want to apologize to the girl, but she sucked it up.

"I'm sorry Marinette." She managed, though it was easy to tell she didn't really mean it.

"I accept your apology." Marinette replied. Nathalie wondered how sincere Marinette was being considering Aimee wasn't being sincere at all.

"Marinette has decided to give you back half the time you'd found before your failed attempt to steal hers." Gabriel stated. "Otherwise you would have had no time to work on your project." That statement seemed to have stunned Aimee. "We will not be ejecting you from the competition for your attack. Now Nathalie, Alec, if you would be so kind as to explain how this will work with the time."

"Of course Mr. Agreste. We've counted up everyone's time." Nathalie stated. "And we will have everyone starting at the same time but stopping when their time is up."

"That will give an advantage to those with more time not just because of the additional time, but they'll get a chance to see some of the finished projects while still working on their own." Alec added.

"That's correct. Unlike the previous competitions where everyone finished at the same time and only saw the in progress work being done, some of our contestants will have a chance to change their designs based on what's finished." Nathalie stated. The times appeared on the screen next to Gabriel's head. Nathalie almost laughed when she saw the times. Marinette had the longest amount by far. She knew they'd placed most of the one-hour cylinders in the pool along with the five-hour sphere, but even with that she was impressed by the amount Marinette had gotten especially with her stealing time for Aimee. Had Aimee not gone after Marinette's time and had hers stolen instead, she would have had close to the same amount as Marinette and Bobby.

**Hours /Contestants**

128.5 / Marinett Dupain-Cheng

83.5 / Bobby Skye

73.5 / Everett Freji

66.25 / Aiden Addison

57.75 / Nadia Lighthouse

54 38 / Bianca Sartor

40.5 / Aimee Beaufort

At the numbers Nathalie whistled. Marinette had a huge lead, almost an additional two days worth of time more then anyone else to work on her project. If she'd kept all of Aimee's time instead of giving her some back, she'd have more time they had available for her to use on her project because of the filming schedule.

"As you could have guessed, the theme for his week is outer space. "Alec stated and there was a small uproar of confusion from the contestants. He and Nathalie laughed.

"Really though, the theme is beachwear." Nathalie corrected still smiling. "Please be ready to go." She paused.

"NOW!" Alec yelled and the contestants were off to work.

* * *

**MARINETTE 4**

* * *

It was the first time Marinette hadn't felt extra rushed with her designing. She had about two days more time to work on the beachwear for the competition then anyone else, plus she'd already come up with a number of swimsuit designs. The harder question for her was what to use. There was another concern as well though. Nathalie had said beachwear, not swimwear. That must have meant that just a swimsuit wouldn't cut it. She starting going over ideas for wraps, cover ups, and men's gear as well. She hated to admit it, but she hadn't even considered swimwear for guys, although the image of Luka in swim briefs popped into her mind as soon as she thought about it. She even licked her lips a little, but even as she did that an image of Adrien popped in as well. Worse yet they both stood there in her imagination wearing skimpy men's swimsuits. In her imagination they turned around and she saw she'd been imaging them in thongs. Those perfect cheeks of both Adrien and Luka separated by a thin slice of fabric, mmmmmmm.

"Marinette, you seem to be drooling, are you all right?" Nathalie asked.

"Ahhhh, what?" She cried out in embarrassment as she went to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I asked if you here all right." Nathalie repeated.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." She explained noticing Alec was there as well. She caught sight of Nadia giggling as she was looking in Marinette's direction.

"I see what you are working on there, and they look very interesting." Gabriel Agreste stated from his tablet. "I don't believe I need to say anything else." Nathalie and Alec walked away. **_Had he given anyone else any tips?_** She wondered. She should have been paying more attention to what was going on rather then daydreaming about the two guys in her life. **_But Adrian is no longer in my life like that._** She thought to herself and sighed. **_And I keep avoiding Luka because I don't want to use him to feel better about not having Adrien. I'm such n emotional mess._** She used the entire first day to finish up her design ideas.

Others had already started sewing things together while Marinette worked on her patterns. She decided on the swimsuits for both Luka and Juleka and had spent more time working the designs for the "accessories". She didn't want to rush on the process too much but she also knew she'd need time to make everything she wanted, not to mention her own outfit. She was also considering the presentation as well. That might take a little more creativity this time around. She honestly felt like she'd started something she needed to continue with her presentation but that just added more pressure.

Once she had the patterns for Luka's swimwear ready, she cut it out in the cloth she'd chosen and went to sew. She turned her machine on, set the thread and cloth and pressed the foot pedal down. As she as she did, sparks flew from the machine and she screamed as a quick jolt of electricity zapped her and caused her to fall off her chair. Alec ran towards her as well as a few crewmembers. The other contestants stopped to watch.

"Are you okay?" Alec asked.

"I think so." Marinette groaned.

"Lets have you get checked out while one of the tech looks at your machine." Marinette nodded and was led for the second time to see the medic on staff.

* * *

**NATHALIE 3**

* * *

"Marinette is going to be fine. The sewing machine just shocked her. The tech who looked at it said a couple of the wires looked a little worn down. Must have gone cheap on it when it was being made." Alec explained to Nathalie. **_First the bloody nose, now faulty equipment. Marinette's going to garner a lot of sympathy this episode._** She grumbled to herself. She knew they would be using all of that footage too since it was too exciting not to use.

"Did they fix the machine?" She asked. Alec shook his head.

"They took the one that Beau and been using as a replacement. With our filming schedule, we can't give Marinette any additional time to replace what she lost from this last incident, either." Alec frowned.

"At least she has a lot of time anyway." Nathalie let herself sound chipper.

"That is true. I never would have thought anyone would manage to get that much time."

"Just think what it would have been had she not given some back to Aimee." Nathalie smiled and Alec shook his head.

"We'll have to plan a little better in the future if we do another trial to earn time like this." Nathalie nodded in agreement.

* * *

**MARRINETTE 5**

* * *

Aimee was the first one whose time ran out and although her project wouldn't be left out after the day was over, it was still sitting in the open until the end of the day. She'd actually made a few different swimsuits for both men and women. Probably to get herself the option to see what looked best on her models, but she didn't do much in the line of accessories. Marinette noticed that a couple of the others were adding sarongs, and cover-ups to their designs. She obviously wasn't the only one who thought beachwear was different then swimwear. She used her opportunity to look at the other designs when they were finished to modify her own to have it stand out more.

Finally when it came time to fit she nearly tripped when she saw Juleka.

"Hi Marinette." Her friend called sounding a little shy, well a little more shy then was usual for her.

"How did you, why did you?" Marinette blabbered.

"Well, I thought that I should get a little bit of a tan for this one since you mentioned swimwear." Marinette nodded. She'd picked her colors based on Juleka's pale color. She held the swimsuit up to the girl and sighed in relief, it would look even better with the tanned skin. She helped Juleka with the swimsuit and the cover up dress she'd designed. In the loops on the cover-up she slipped a rolled cloth belt. She gave Juleka a pair of small wedge heeled sandals and painted her nails, both toe and finger to match the swimsuit. They tried a couple of different hairstyles, but settled on a loose braid.

"You look beautiful Juleka." Luka commented when his sister's preparation was done. He'd already slipped into his own set of swimwear for which Marinette was grateful. She wasn't sure how she would have handled dressing him. The idea made her rather nervous. They helped her finish the preparation for the display before some crewmembers came to push the curtained platform into position. And then as usual the curtains were removed as the judges came to look at the different designs.

"For such a short time, these may be the best designs you have done Miss

Beaufort, however you only did the swimwear and although swimwear is important on the beach, few people go to the beach in just their swimsuits unless they already live on the beach." Gabriel Agreste's voice rang out from the tablet. She looked noticeably upset. Aimee wasn't the only one who mostly did just swimsuits though and others just went light on accessories. Although the others did have at lease a couple of accessories. Gabriel seemed to favor Aiden's and Bobby's designs. They'd also come up with some basic presentation. Aiden wore a string bikini as she showed off her work. She had a nice, but mostly boyish figure.

"Ah Marinette, lets see what you have for me today." Gabriel Agreste stated. Marinette stood there, dressed in a halter bikini top with a small cutout under her cleavage, a pair of cut off denim shorts with the pockets peeking out of the bottom, nice leather flip flop style sandals and her hair loose to frame her face. She had a streak of white on her nose to look like some extra sunscreen was applied to keep it from burning. The curtain was pulled down and her display came into view. Nathalie gasped and that made Marinette smile. The platforms weren't too large, but large enough to do a small display and she had gone all out on it with her extra time. She'd used some dowel rods, both thick and thin, to make up a beach umbrella, with a combination of two different colors of a light fabric as the cover. At the bottom she'd taken a glittery yellow almost net like material and draped it over some tan material that was piled up to resemble a small sand hill around the base of the umbrella. Along with that pile of "sand" were a couple of additional dowel rods with cloth draped between them to look like the back of a beach chair, a beach chair that Juleka appeared to be reclining in with one leg crossed over the other with her foot dangling. Luka stood next to the umbrella holding a box that looked like a cloth cooler.

Before any questions were asked, Juleka stood up and stretched before sliding her hands down along her body to untie the belt at her waist and pulled it through the loops on her cover up dress. Then she undid the buttons on the cover up and let it slip off her shoulders to pool at her feet exposing the halter bikini style one-piece swimsuit she wore. Bikini style in that if not for the sheer fabric stretched between the bottom to the top and then top to a collar, it would have been a bikini. She snapped the belt so that it unfurled and then wrapped it around her waist as a sarong. Juleka then slide the sunglasses she wore up into her hairline before grabbing onto the umbrella with both hands and looking as if she were leaning against it with an arch to her back.

Once Juleka had changed her pose, Luka set down the "cooler" and slipped his hands to the hem of his sleeveless shirt and slowly pulled it up over his head, clearly showing off his well defined abs. With that removed, he then slid off the board shorts he was wearing, and by the reactions of Alec and Nathalie both, they had been fooled into thinking those were his swim trunks. The removal of the board shorts showed he was instead wearing swim jammers that stopped just a few finger widths from his knees. Nathalie let out another little gasp when she looked at him. Luka stretched a little and took his sunglasses off before tucking one earpiece into his jammers before once more setting a hand around the umbrella.

"You do not disappoint, Marinette." Gabriel Agreste stated from the tablet screen. Before Luka and Juleka could move to show off the fashions from the different angles and posses requested by the judges, they had to set the umbrella down, as them holding it was the only reason it stayed up. After they'd finished there, the judges went up to their desk and Gabriel Agreste spoke about the different fashions before the celebrity judge came out.

"This weeks celebrity guest is one half of the hottest weather casting duo in France. I present to you, Aurore Beaureal!" Alec announced as the girl came out in a cheery sundress, carrying her ever-present umbrella with her. She waved to everyone who cheered. Marinette frowned.

"It's great to see you all. I know Mireille wishes she could be here as well, but she had other obligations. I do hope you're not disappointed to have only one of us." She smiled widely. She'd done a lot to stop herself from getting angry to the point where she was just a little self-deprecating to avoid being akumatized again. Three times had been enough for her. "Oh, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, is that you?" She asked when she saw her. "'Wow, that is a really sexy look for you. Oh Juleka, you're her model? Wow, I always thought you were too shy for this sort of thing." That caused Juleka's skin to darken, and only the fake tan she wore keeping it from being really obvious, but her entire stature had changed with the comment, making her pull into herself and slip a little behind Luka.

Alec slapped his hand against his face exasperated.

"Again?" Aiden asked.

"You have got to be shitting me." Aimee complained.

"So Aurore, how do you know Marinette and Juleka?" Nathalie asked keeping her cool.

"Oh, we go to school together." She replied. "We're not in the same class or anything, but we sometimes have lunch together and stuff."

"Well Alec, why don't I take Aurore around to look at the designs." Nathalie suggested. He nodded and Nathalie led Aurore around while he went backstage presumably to speak with the other producrers.

* * *

**NATHALIE 4**

* * *

"I can't believe it." Alec stated to Nathalie after she'd finished showing Aurore around to the contestants.

"Believe what?" Nathalie asked.

"That they didn't catch the school connection between Aurore and Marinette."

"How did that happen?" She asked, but she already knew of course.

"Aurore had transferred schools a few month ago and we didn't have the updated information. No one had changed it from when she'd been in our weather girl contest." He frowned. "It's on us big time." Although Nathalie knew that wasn't exactly true, after all, she'd made sure the information remained wrong.

"Are we planning on doing the usual then?" She asked finding it funny they could call it that. Alec nodded resigned to another announcement of modified scoring.. The judges finished with their scores and the totals were added up before being handed to the hosts. They went onstage.

"Since Aurore, Marinette and Marinette's model Juleka are all familiar with each other, we've decided to only award Marinette two-thirds of the points from Aurore. Alec announced his tone of voice stated how tired he was of making this announcement. Nathalie noticed the eye rolls that a few of the contestants gave. Since most of the audience was made up of a lot of the same people every week a few of them sighed. "That being said, our top two contestants are Bobby Skye and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Please come and stand in the winners circle." The two did as beckoned.

"As for our bottom two, would Aimee Beaufort and Everett Freji please come up." Nathalie announced. Aimee looked pissed and Everett looked annoyed. Gabriel Agreste's head and shoulders appeared on the large screen.

"Mr. Freji, your designs were unimaginative at best. Swimsuits can be a difficult thing to design because pretty much every cut has been done, but that means you need to get more creative. I am very disappointed in your work this week. As for you Miss. Beaufort, You did an excellent job on the swimwear, even making multiple designs to test on your models, however you didn't actually meet the beachwear aspect of the theme. Perhaps if you had had more time you might have been able to do more." He suggested. "There is also the matter of the attack on another contestant. If not for that, I would have been inclined to keep you here to see what you'd come up with next, however even though your suit designs were superior to Mr. Feji's, you are the one leaving the show." Aimee sneered at his image and turned to walk away, her footsteps heavy with anger.

"Now for our top two." Gabriel Agreste stated. "The decision was very difficult. Both of you came up with very beautiful designs for your female models, but this time it's going to come down to your male models attire and in this case, Marinette created the better product. I liked the idea that he could either go with the board shorts if he wanted or stick with the jammers. Once again, Marinette also came up with a stunning presentation for her designs and even had her models show them off. I really enjoyed the way your female model demonstrated the versatility of the belt from the cover up. Marinette, you are this weeks top designer."

Nathalie watched as Marinette turned to give Bobby a hug, but he just turned away from her and raised his hands apparently in celebration of his second place spot. Marinette looked rather upset over the obvious rejection of her from Bobby. Nathalie smiled.

* * *

**ADRIEN**

* * *

With his father and Nathalie busy with whatever project they'd started, Adrien had more free time. He still had some modeling jobs to do, but not as many. His father wasn't watching his Piano lessons as much, so it was easier to skip out of those. His Chinese lessons went on as planned since he had a tutor come in for them. Plus with him seeing Kagami, approved by his father, he was given more free time to spend with her.

Adrien stopped by his father's office to let him know he was getting ready to pick up Kagami for their date, but he could hear his father talking. **_Sound like he's reviewing someon'se designs_**, Adrien thought. **_Best not to disturb him. _**

"I'm ready to head out if you are." He called to his bodyguard. The Gorilla nodded and opened the door for Adrien as they headed for the limo. He'd decided to dress a little nicer for this date. He'd picked out a pair of black jeans, and a grey button up shirt that he actually buttoned and a sport jacket. They actually had reservations for one of the fancier restaurants for lunch for a change.

"Hi, is Kagami available?" He asked through the intercom on the gate after the car arrived. He'd gotten out of the car, thinking it would be rude to just sit in the back and wait for her. He stood watching through the gate until one of the maids had driven Kagami to the gate on a golf cart.

"Thank you Akami-chan." Kagami said with a slight bow.

"You're welcome Kagami-sama." The young maid replied with a blush and a bow of her own. Adrien smiled as she came out of the gate and kissed her cheek. The maid waited until Adrien helped Kagami into the car before closing the gate and taking the golf cart back to the mansion.

"Did she really blush?" Adrien asked once he was in the car with Kagami. She was wearing a blue plaid, pleated skirt similar to her uniform skirt, a black sleeveless blouse with a ruffled collar and over the knee black boots with a small heel that was still higher then she usually had on her shoes.

"She did. I accidently added the 'chan' to her name a couple weeks ago after you and I had watched that one anime with the all the cute maids, and she got very flustered. I couldn't help myself and continued to do so." She gave him a wicked smile. "I found it very adorable. Then she switched from 'san' to 'sama' on my name afterwards." She laughed and Adrien joined in. They had their dinner and went back to the Agreste Mansion to watch some more anime before Kagami had to be home. Her mother had given a later curfew then she usually had since she was out with Adrien.

"Ah, Miss. Tsurugi, it's a pleasure to see you again." Adrien's father stated when they'd come through the door. He gave the girl a bow. The Gorilla had helped the pair out of the car but had not gone with them inside since he still needed to park the car.

"The pleasure is mine Mr. Agreste." She replied and returned his bow. With his father's eccentricities about being around and even touching people, Adrien figured his father must love Asian culture because of the bowing and lack of handshaking.

"And what are your plans for this evening, Adrien?"

"Well father, I was going to play the new song I learned for Kagami since she liks to listen to me play and we were going to watch a movie together."

"I am glad you are getting along, and more so that you Miss. Tsurugi are giving my son reason to practice more." He gave her a smile, a real smile Adrien noted and not the fake ones he used so often with other people.

"I feel like I am the one being rewarded when he plays for me." She responded and Adrien's father chuckled and left them to their own devices. The pair went to the kitchen to get some snacks before heading to his room. Adrien brought the Grand Piano up out of its hiding area and started to play while Kagami watched. He had lid down to quiet it a little and not disturb his father. He played a nice classical piece first but then switched to the theme song for Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru. Kagami laughed and in a swift and graceful move, hopped and twisted to land on the piano in a seated potion. She slipped one leg over the other and started to sing the theme to accompany his playing. Adrien laughed and switched to Kanata no Astra and finally the theme for Cutie Honey. He would have gone on, but he received a text from Nino.

**-Hey Bro, are you watching your old man's show?-**

**-My father's what?"-**

**-Dude, turn on your TV-**

"Hey Kagami can you turn on the TV." He looked at the next text Nino sent and told her what channel. They got on just in time to see the contestants start coming on stage. "Wow, this explains what my father and Nathalie have been doing." He stated. "I would never have expected my father would do something like this."

"It does seem a little out of character for him." Kagami agreed. "Wait, is that Nathalie on stage?"

"No it can't, oh my God, it is her. Wow. That is definitely not something I would ever expect to see her wear."

"She looks good." Kagami remarked. The pair looked at each other and started laughing, up until the last contestant was announced, then they stopped and turned to face the large screen again.

"Marinette!" They exclaimed in unison. A moment later Gabriel Agreste's face appeared on a screen and Adrien laughed again.

"Okay, that's more in character for my father. He must be doing this from his office. I bet this is what I heard him talking about earlier."

"Your father seriously doesn't remember her?" Kagami asked stunned when that information came to light on the show.

"I guess not. Which is strange considering she won a contest of his. Then again, he's done those kinds of contests before, but still."

"Maybe he does not consider her important enough to remember." Kagami suggested. Adrien shot her a look. "I did not say she was not important just that your father does not see her as such."

"I guess not. I'm rather disappointed though. I mean does my father not take enough interest in my life to even remember my friends?" Kagami frowned and moved to wrap her arms around him while they continued to watch. After a while she'd released her grip.

"I've never watched my father work before, so it's interesting seeing Marinette do it. I wonder if he goes through the same process she does?"

"IF not it's probably similar though. Marinette seems to make friends quickly." Kagami added when she saw Marinette getting along with two of the contestants. "Although that one girl looks a lot like you."

"Really, you think so? I don't see it." He remarked before moving on. "Her designs are really coming together. It's kind of exciting." They'd gotten to the point where Nathalie and Alec were talking to the designers while still working on the designs. "I'm still really surprised my father would do this."

"I am as well. Oh look they are going to be revealing the finished products. I wonder who Marinette's models are?" The show had mentioned the contestants had to find amateur models to use even before the show started officially filming.

"It's Juleka." Adrien smiled. "Makes sense, she's been modeling for Marinette since Alya made the website for her.

"She should have asked me." Kagami stated.

"Yeah but would you mother have allowed it?" Adrien chuckled.

"Never." Kagami laughed and then Luka came on screen. The introductions they showed were being played directly and not split with Adrien's father as they had been for the contestants.

"Whoa, I thought Marinette and Luka weren't dating." Adrien blurted out when he saw the kiss on screen. Kagami turned to look at him in surprise.

"Does it matter to you if they are or are not dating?" She asked.

"Well no, but Alya told me they weren't, but they just kissed on TV."

"They did not kiss." She remarked.

"We just saw it?" Kagami shook her head.

"Get out your Ladybug and Cat Noir figures." She commanded.

"My what? I don't have. . . " She glared at him a little. He went to the drawer of his desk and pulled out his toys.

"Now I want you to hold them up and when I tell you to, lean Cat Noir in to kiss Ladybug but don't have them touch." She stated and he nodded. She pulled her camera out and held it up. "Now kiss." He leaned Cat Noir towards Ladybug and then stopped. "Done." Kagami showed him her screen as she played the movie she'd just taken. "Do you see the slight change in position Adrien?"

"Yeah." He watched the slight shift in the camera angle that made it looked like Cat Noir kissed Ladybug. "I really should have realized that. I'm in front of camera's all the time. I've seen Vincent use perspective shots to make things look different then they actually were." He was about to say something else when her heard the name Jagged Stone from the TV.

"Oh hey Marinette, awesome to see you here. I didn't know you were a contestant." Jagged's voice rang out.

"Oh that's not good." Adrien remarked.

"Marinette knows Jagged Stone?" Kagami asked surprised.

"Yeah, she designed one of his album covers. I even have it autographed."

"You got Jagged Stone to autograph an album? When did you see him?"

"Um, no I had Marinette sign it, although I should have had Jagged sign it when he. . . But yeah I had Marinette autograph it." He pulled it out of the drawer his toys had been in. He didn't want to mention his "guys' day in" party from a few months ago when Jagged Stone had shown up with just about every guy in Paris.

"You had Marinette sign it?" Kagami asked, her face scrunched in a questioning expression.

"Um, yeah."

"Why?"

"She designed it, I thought it would be cool to have her autograph it."

"So just to be clear, the famous model, Adrien Agreste who famously hates signing autographs asked someone else to autograph something for him." He made a slight "eeep" noise and Kagami laughed, although Adrien was certain she looked a little upset for some reason. Adrien had been so distracted by Kagami, he'd missed a few minutes of the show. He'd been facing her with his back to the TV while she'd been facing him and the TV.

"They are only awarding Marinette a portion of the points from Jagged due to knowing him." Kagami said surprised. Adrien finally looked back at the TV. "That does not seem fair."

"I don't know, I mean, he could give her a better score because he knows her and she's done work for him."

"It still does not seem right to me. You should say something to your father."

"Um, no. If Marinette's on this show, it's probably because father doesn't remember her. Otherwise I don't think they'd let her be part of it. If I say something to him, he might remember she's a friend of mine. It's one thing to deduct the points for knowing the surprise guest, but I'm sure she'd be kicked off if they knew she was friends with Gabriel Agreste's son."

"You are right. I had not thought of that." She frowned. "Still I do not like it."

"Look she still won this episode. That's so awesome."

"Ah, better yet, look I can order the outfit she designed." Kagami grabbed her phone and went to the show's website to place the order for Marinette's female rocker outfit, in her sizes of course. Adrien also pulled his phone out.

"I'll order one too." He smiled.

"I'd like to see you in the girl's outfit." Kagami grinned. "I am glad you are ordering it."

"I'm not getting that one, I'm getting the one Luka wore." He countered and she laughed at him. "Although, it did say the sales could be used for future scoring, so actually I'll order both."

"Me too." She replied. "I do think I would look good in either, what do you think?"

"I think I'd like to see that." He smiled.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**CONFESSIONALS**

* * *

**AIMEE**

"I can't say that I'm surprised I was booted off. I went after Gabriel Agreste's favorite little bitch after all. I should have known better, but I thought if I stole all her time, she wouldn't have been able to compete and we could have gotten her off the show. She shouldn't even be on it. How does she know so many damn celebrities?"

**NADIA**

"I have to admit, seeing Alec in his little briefs really got my heart racing. That boy is fiiiiiine. But then to see Luka in those tight jammers, I mean nothing was left to the imagination and I'll be damned if he wouldn't tear Marinette apart if they got serious. That girl could be in for some serious, well you know."

"If I win this internship and get to live here in Paris, I might have to see about making him mine." Nadia licked her lips.

**AIDEN**

"Seriously another judge she knew. What is going on? It's crazy right? I overheard they had the name of the judges school wrong and that's why they didn't realize she knew Marinette already. Still, I can't believe it. It's crazy. Even with them deducting points, she still ends up in the top two every week. How is that possible?

**MARINETTE**

"I know Juleka can be a little shy, so I wanted to design a swimsuit for her with that in mind, but I wanted it to be really cute on her too. I guess I ended up making it sexier then I realized, but she told me she really liked it and wanted to order one from the show. I told her I'd let her keep the original."

* * *

**NOTES**

* * *

Writing this chapter is when I realized I needed to lock down my themes, celebrities and booted contestants. I still need to figure out when I want the episodes to air on TV, because then I need to start writing the other characters reacting to episodes. LoL. I laugh now, but I'll be crying soon. Obviously, I figured out the airing of the episodes. I hope no one was too confused by Adrien and Kagami watching the first week of the contest right after the results of the third week.

I wanted to use a fun but ridiculous anime theme for Kagami to sing to start with, then a more serious one and another fun one.

**Common or weird typos this round**

Bobby Skye – Booby Sky

Serious – series.

However – Hopweaver

I feel like Nathalie's becoming more and more evil as this story goes on.

I can't remember if it was straight out said or strongly hinted that Aurore & Mireille started to work together (I checked the wikki to make sure it was show and not something I got from fanon.) Also I figured Aurore couldn't have gone to the same school as the other characters since everyone seemed to have voted for Mireille as the weather girl. If Aurore did go to school with all of them at the time and they voted against, that would just be awful of them. Since Stormy Weather 2 had Chloe making fun or Aurore's grades they obviously were in the same school then. I didn't see anything about Mireille being in the same school.

On a more personal note, my father passed away while I was working on this chapter. It wasn't from Corona. He ended up with pneumonia. I didn't even know he was in a hospital. Because of all the deaths from Corona, they expedited the service planning so the service ended up being 3 days after he died. To be honest, seeing him in the coffin was a surreal moment for me. It still feels like it wasn't real.

Anyway, I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy. Give your love to your loved ones, even if you can't be near them, just let them know.

**Peace and Love.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Gabriel's Obsession Chapter 7**

* * *

**LUKA**

* * *

After wearing the swim jammers Marinette designed, the other girl models just kept after him, worse then before, so when it came time to finally play for Prince Ali, Luka was thrilled beyond belief. The models wouldn't be able to get past the prince's security and he would have a little peace. **_Maybe I need to stop being so charming. Can I even turn that off? Do I know anyone I can emulate? I kind of wish Chloe had ended up being the terrible person Alya made her out to be, then maybe I could have gotten some tips from her._**

Luka held up the mask Marinette had previously made for him as part of his band costume and frowned. He hadn't worn it since they'd been on TV after the Silencer incident. He hadn't wanted to wear it. It just reminded him too much about what happened, even though he couldn't actually remember what he'd done, the mask still made him feel uneasy. He wondered if everyone who'd been akumatized felt that way about the object that possessed them. He should remember to ask about it at the next meeting for the PTAS group. He'd already gone to a second one. Chloe had them twice a week currently, but she was considering adding a third day. What surprised Luka was Chloe had asked him his opinion about it. That was another thing that didn't line up with what he'd been told about her. From the stories he'd been told, she didn't care about anyone else's opinion, except maybe Adrien.

"Are you ready, Luka?" Juleka asked softly as she touched her brother's arm. "You look a little out of it."

"I'm fine, really. I was just lost in thought." He remarked before grabbing his guitar. The members of Kitty Section made their way to the stage that had been set up in the ballroom of Le Grand Paris hotel. Rose was smiling and waving as she walked. Ivan did he best not to knock anything over with his bulk, while Juleka practically teleported to her spot to avoid standing out, to which Luka thought made her stand out even more, but he wasn't going to tell her that. He was the last to go on stage and waved to the crowd, which seemed to be made up of a number of official looking people and their families. **_Thank God they have kids here, I don't think most of those adults will like our stuff._**

"Good Afternoon, we're Kitty Section and we're here to play for you." He stated. The prince started clapping and when everyone saw him clapping, they started to clap as well. **_It's going to be like that is it?_** Luka thought annoyed. "By special request, we're going to start with the National Anthem, then we'll be going into our viral hit "Unicorns." He explained as they started to play. What surprised him was noticing how many of those in the prince's entourage became teary eyed while the anthem played. **_Apparently we're doing a good job of it._** Once that was over they went right into "Unicorns". It brought a smile to his face to see people's surprised reaction to Rose's voice. The prince as well as a number of the younger guests really got into it and were dancing. He glanced over at Rose when he noticed that the Prince was dancing with a girl who looked and dressed like she was from his home country. If he didn't know the lead singer as well as he did he might not have noticed the slightly annoyed slant to her eyes.

After they played their own song, they moved onto some covers of other classic rock songs going as far back in time as to even do a cover of an Elvis Presley song. Even if his work was considered oldies by American music standards, Elvis was still the "King of Rock". After an hour, they were scheduled for a thirty-minute break before starting their second set, and Rose had vanished almost instantly. Ivan went over to the food table and Juleka found a spot to sit on her own away from crowds.

"Disappointed no one's asking for autographs?" Luka joked as he joined her. "I mean we're on TV now."

"I don't know. I think I'm more disappointed that Rose didn't say anything about me being on TV." Juleka admitted.

"Did she say anything at all about the show?" Juleka shook her head. "So she probably didn't see it. It's not like anyone knew we were going to be on it. If she'd known that, I'm sure Rose would have watched. Lets be honest, Ivan didn't say anything either. Although can you imagine him watching a fashion show like that?" Juleka laughed a little laugh.

"No I can't." Juleka started but was interrupted by a woman screaming.

"HOW DARE YOU!" They heard. A moment later they saw Rose fall out from a doorway, a large red handprint on her face. "You dared touch my fiancée!" The girl Prince Ali had been dancing with earlier screamed at Rose as she followed, nearly stepping on Rose in the process.

"Nyla please calm down." The prince stated as he grabbed at the girl. "There is no need for violence."

"No need, you are betrothed to me! No other girl should be kissing you until after our vows have been finalized." She screamed at him. The prince took a step back. Rose attempted to get up but was knocked back down with a quick kick to her arm." Luka and Juleka rushed towards them but were blocked by security. One of the security guards did try to pull Rose out of the way, but none seemed to want to directly stop Nyla from attacking.

"What's wrong you with you, help her!" Juleka yelled.

"We cannot lay hands upon the royalty." One of the guards stated.

"Then I'll do it!" Luka yelled trying to force his way past.

"I am to be your first Ali." She stated as she pulled Rose from the guard's grip.

"I do not care, you are not to touch Rose." Ali yelled back. He tried to pull Rose away. A slight ripping sound could be heard as the back of Rose's dress started to pull apart at the seam and Rose fell back out if it, leaving it in the hands of both Prince Ali and Nyla. The pair looked at each other just as a glowing purple butterfly landed on the dress.

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

She knew that her relationship with Nadia and Aiden was becoming strained, more so with Aiden then Nadia though. She wasn't going to pretend it wasn't happening and she didn't know how to fix it. She already felt a little out of place with the age difference. If she lost her two friends she wasn't sure what she would do. Marinette went to one of the refrigerators to get a snack. She really wanted to talk to Aiden but honestly had no idea what to say, how to make things better.

"Oh cool, are those the Akuma's we've heard about?" Bobby asked as he watched the TV with Everett. Marinette's head whipped around. She looked at the screen and saw above Le Grand Paris a pair of what looked like genies floating there. They seemed to be fighting with each other over some object. She wanted to run but that would draw attention to her. Instead she grabbed her sketchbook and headed for the storage room. **_Maybe being more or less exiled from the group is a good thing,_** she considered. **_No one even noticed me leaving or asked me about the akumas since I'm the only one here from Paris._**

Once she was hidden away in the little spot she'd made for herself in the storage room, Marinette slipped her sunglasses over her eyes.

"Kaalki, Full Gallop." She stated softly.

* * *

**CAT NOIR**

* * *

Adrien had been in the park when he'd seen the two large forms appear over the hotel. He'd seen some odd things over the last year as Cat Noir, but nothing like this. The two forms, one blue with a distinctly feminine shape, and one red with a distinctly masculine shape to it. In fact they kind of reminded him of the genie from that movie Aladdin, more like the cartoon version then the horrifying live version. Didn't matter though, he just ducked behind the "magical" bench, the one no one ever seem to notice and transformed into Cat Noir.

As he got closer he noticed they seemed to be fighting over something. **_That's strange_**, he thought. **_Why would they be fighting each other like that?_** **_ Shouldn't they be going after our miraculouses?_** Finally Cat Noir got close and was horrified when he saw what they were fighting over. It was a person, not only a person, but one he knew. He charged in without thinking. He needed to get Rose away from them before they tore her apart or dropped her. He noted a flash of red off to his side. Ladybug had appeared.

"Is that Rose?" She cried when she noticed.

"Looks like it Ladybug." He replied. She wasted no time as she landed on the ground and tossed her yoyo in the air.

"Lucky Charm!" she yelled and a sewing kit popped into existence. She held onto it and looked startled.

"I know we always have these little complicated plans and everything, but how does a sewing kit help us this time?" He asked.

"It's not what it can do, but what it represents I think. Do what you can to keep the girl safe, I'll be back as soon as possible." She remarked and ducked away.

"Sure, keep her safe. That'll be purrfectly simple to do." He uttered under his breath. He used his staff to catapult himself up to the hands holding Rose and landed on the arm of the red genie.

"Give her to me, so I can end her existence." The blue one commanded.

"You will not harm her." The red one remarked. He was the only one actually holding Rose, but didn't seem to be trying hurt her. Just by what he'd said Cat Noir thought he was trying to protect her. He noticed that the blue genie had her hand wrapped around the red one's hand. Cat Noir rushed down as he could see the "muscles of the blue hand flexing as if he crush the red hand. That's when he noticed that they seemed to be joined together.

"Give her to me, I'll protect her." Cat Noir called to the red one. He noticed that Rose seemed to have passed out, at least he hoped she'd passed out and not, no he didn't want to think of that possibility. Although he often liked to play with the akumas a bit before they were defeated, he wasn't going to risk Rose's life. No, he was taking this one very seriously as he did if anyone's life was on the line.

"No, she is mine." He replied.

"No you fool, she is not yours, she is mine to destroy." The blue one cried and lifted a hand to shoot a lightning bolt at Cat Noir. He dodged it with a leap back towards the elbow. It hit the red one, who screamed and appeared to slightly squeeze Rose. A pained groan came from her lips. Cat Noir cringed. He needed to be more careful.

* * *

**LADYBUG Plus**

* * *

"Kaalki, Tikki Merge." She ordered when she got out of sight and put on her sunglasses. A moment later her two forms combined and she opened a portal to her room above the bakery. She recognized the sewing kit, it was hers, but not the one she currently used and had brought with for filming. It was the one her father gave her when she was still in her single digits, that she left in her room. The only reason the lucky charm could have for sending her back there, was for her to get back-up.

She needed to hurry, the portal wouldn't stay open for too long, and she didn't want to waste time by having to swing back. She went to her bed and cat pillow, opening it's head and pulling out the Miracle Box. She opened that and looked at the different miraculouses in it. **_Which one to use?_** She closed her eyes and let her instinct take over before grabbing one. It was the fox necklace. She hid the box back in the cat's head before diving through the shrinking portal. A moment later, Kaalki separated from her and Tikki. Marinette gave the horse kwami a quick snack.

**_I can't go to Alya this time, Hawk Moth knows who she is and could have people watching her like he did Chloe. I can't endanger her like that. I don't even have the time too anyway, but who could I ask?_** She used her yoyo to fling herself onto Le Grand Paris, landing on the outdoor pool area. There she saw the perfect person for the job. She rushed over and grabbed the girl, dragging her aside.

"Let me go!" The girl managed before she realized who had grabbed her.

"Juleka Couffaine I could use your help." Ladybug stated. Juleka's eyes went wide. "Will you accept the Fox Miraculous. . ." Julkea cut Ladybug off.

"I will do anything to save Rose." Juleka stated and took the necklace. When Trixx popped up after Juleka slipped the necklace on, the little kwami seemed confused.

"Go ahead." Ladybug prompted.

"Um okay, so in order to transform, you need only say, Trixx lets pounce." Juleka nodded.

"Trixx, lets pounce." She said and transformed. Ladybug watched in fascination. She knew the miraculous transformation worked with the person wearing it, but she was startled by the change in appearance of the fox wielder with Juleka at the helm. The color of the form was a dark orange/brown, nearly black really, with a white section in the front similar to Rena Rouge although this looked more like an over the bust corset to Ladybug, with the sides transitioning into the same color as the rest of the costume. The mask and ears that appeared in place resembled those of Rena Rouge in design, though with the darker color scheme, but that's where the similarities ended. She appeared to wear thigh high boots in black with a wedge heel that was higher then the one's Chloe's Queen Bee had, with the outside of the boots being higher on her thigh then the inner section. Matching those boots where the arm length black gloves she wore. Like the boots, they seemed to be gloves and not just part of the costume as the previous user's costume had been. Finally she had an actual fluffy foxtail behind her.

"Wow." Ladybug commented.

"What do I need to do?" She asked.

"We need to get Rose away from them and find the akuma." Ladybug explained.

"The akuma was in Rose's dress." The fox user mentioned. Ladybug canted her head confused. "Long story, but they were fighting over Rose and ripped her dress off her and the akuma went into it." Ladybug looked up again and saw Cat Noir bouncing around the arms of both giant genies, distracting them from Rose. She heard her earrings start to beep**_. Shit, I forgot to feed Tikki, I won't be able to use my lucky charm again._**

"I've got an idea." She ran to one of the tables and yanked down an umbrella and ripped the cloth off of it. "Grab another one." She ordered. The fox user did as she was told and brought Ladybug the cloth from another umbrella. Ladybug broke the post from the umbrella in two and wrapped both pieces of cloth around it. "Here's the plan." The fox user nodded as Ladybug whispered it into her ear.

A few moment's later Ladybug joined Cat Noir on top of the genies. She grabbed him and leapt to the head of the blue on, who screamed at them, before Ladybug passed her bundle to him and whispering in his ear. He smiled and nodded. Ladybug jumped back at the red one, basically switching jobs with Cat Noir, becoming the distraction and channeling her inner Cat Noir to be as annoying as possible to them.

* * *

**CAT NOIR 2**

* * *

As Ladybug dodged bolts of lightning from both genies, Cat Noir jumped down to where Rose was being held. For the first time he noticed the joined hands looked to be merged together by a strange spiral that was encircling them. **_That looks a little weird_**, he thought before shrinking his staff down and pushing it sideways between Rose and the fingers that gripped her, making certain one end had contact with the thumb.

"Sorry, didn't mean to touch you there Rose." He whispered to the still unconscious girl, at least he hoped that's all she was. He held the cloth package from Ladybug above her just as he activated his staff to extend it. It pushed against the genie's thumb and fingers forcing them to open enough that Rose could slip out and he could put the bundle in her place. Although it first appeared Rose had slipped from the Genie's grip, he saw she was actually still there and that it was the bundle that was falling. Cat Noir watched as a dark figure seemed to launch itself from the rooftop and grab the bundle in midair before landing on the next rooftop. He sighed in relief.

"What do you think you are doing!" Both genies yelled looking at him.

"Opps, my turn to run." He stated and leapt away just at the blue one's other hand slammed against the spot where he'd been standing. Since their attention was still on him, it seemed like they hadn't noticed the switch. **_If the blue genie had thought about it earlier, she probably could have just smashed Rose's head in_**, he realized glad that she hadn't.

"Cat Noir, the Akuma was in Rose's dress, its got to be somewhere near their hands!" Ladybug yelled. He smiled he knew exactly where it was, the spiral connecting the two hands together.

"Cataclysm!" He yelled and jumped back to the joined hands, slamming his own against the spiral, which started to dissolve away. The two genies started to shrink back down towards the hotel. Ladybug jumped off to land back on the pool level. Cat Noir joined her.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She yelled and tossed her sewing kit in the air. The miraculous ladybugs rushed out and started to fix everything, including the side of the hotel where the genies had broken through that hadn't been visible to the two heroes.

"I'm glad to see you're still using Rena Rouge. I was afraid after Miracle Queen we wouldn't have any. . ." He stopped talking when he saw the fox user carrying a still unconscious Rose to them. Before she got to close the ladybugs surrounded them both and fixed Rose's dress.

"Sorry, I'm not Rena Rouge." The fox user said softly as she gently set Rose down in one of the deck chairs. Rose opened her eyes and glanced around. The three heroes all had looks of relief on their faces when they saw Rose's eyes opened but a moment later Cat Noir looked over at Ladybug questioningly. "If you have to call me something, call me, um Foxy Night." The fox user stated. Ladybug's earrings beeped a little faster.

"I've got to bug out. I need you to come with me Foxy Night." She stated. Foxy Night did not look like she wanted to leave and looked over at Rose who sat up. She finally nodded to Ladybug and followed her a little reluctantly.

"Foxy Night?" Rose asked looking at Cat Noir. He shrugged.

"She's new." He replied. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but what about Ali? Is he okay?"

"Was he the one akumatized?"

"Him and his fiancée." Rose remarked sounding a little upset. **_Ouch,_** Cat Noir thought. "They were both holding my dress when the butterfly showed up and it got them both. It's like what Nino told us about when Juleka, Alya and I were akumatized to go after Adrien.

"At least this time they were stuck together." Cat Noir commented. "That was a lucky break." Rose nodded though looking a little unsure about that statement.

* * *

**JULEKA**

* * *

Ladybug had hidden away just before she transformed back. Foxy Night hid as well as the transformation ended.

"Did something happen to Rena Rouge?" Juleka asked. No answer came for a minute or so, but then Ladybug came back out.

"Hawk Moth learned the identities of the other Miraculous uses." Ladybug explained.

"Are they all right?"

"They are. Hawk Moth hasn't attempted to attack them, but he might be watching over them. That's why I needed to find someone else." Ladybug explained. "That's also why I'm not sure I can continue to give a Miraculous to someone over and over again."

"But wouldn't that be dangerous too?" Juleka asked. She'd been ready to run to Rose but she was also worried about Ladybug. She didn't know her that well, but she seemed somehow very lonely.

"Maybe, but. . ."

"No buts. If you need someone to use the Fox Miraculous again, I want you to come to me." She felt like her legs had turned to rubber as she spoke and could barely hold herself up.

"I understand, although. . ." Again Ladybug seemed hesitant. Juleka managed somewhat a glare at her. "I will." She said at last.

"Good." Juleka stated.

"Just remember, you can't tell anyone about this. It could put you or your loved ones in danger, and that's the last thing I want to have happen." Juleka nodded. "I'll need the miraculous back now." Ladybug held out her hand and Juleka set the box with the necklace on it. "Bug out." She said before leaving. Juleka ran back to the hotel, glad Ladybug hadn't taken her too far away. She made her way back upstairs where there was still a lot of commotion going on.

Sabrina's dad was talking to security, both the hotel's and the prince's. The mayor, as owner of the hotle, was there as well. Rose was being questioned along with Prince Ali and Nyla.

"What happened to you?" Luka asked as he came up from behind her. Juleka jumped a little.

"I um, got stuck outside after the ladybugs fixed everything." Juleka replied. She'd gone out the hole created by the two genies earlier, and she had been stuck outside, so she wasn't technically lying.

"I'm glad you didn't get hurt." He replied and hugged her. It took hours before everything was cleared up. Kitty Section received their payment even though they didn't finish the show. The chaperone had tried to get away with only paying them only for the time they'd actually performed, but Luka would have none of that since the contract did not have an clauses about them not being able to finish the show. Juleka had tracked down Rose to sit with her.

"He can take multiple wives if he wants since he's royalty." Rose said softly.

"Oh, are you okay with that?" Juleka asked hesitantly. Rose shrugged.

"I guess it wouldn't bother me too much since that's normal for his culture, but I'd have to love or at least like the other wife or wives too." Her voice had dropped a little, almost like she was telling a secret. "And there's only been one girl I've ever loved, but I never, I couldn't, I didn't." Rose got quiet a moment. Juleka turned away slightly, just enough so Rose wouldn't see the frown that had formed. "I didn't have the courage to ever tell her how I felt. I know it would be weird to have another girl confess to you, you know?" She sounded like she was about to cry.

"It's okay Rose." Juleka whispered and took Rose's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You should tell her. I'll support you." Juleka said. **_Right, try taking your own advice sometime._** Her inner voice sneered at her. **_Shut up!_** She yelled back in her head.

"I don't think I can actually say it, not after all this time." Rose spoke softly. Juleka turned to look at her friend and saw the glimmer of unshed tears in her large eyes. "I'm sorry Juleka."

"Sorry for wh. . ." Before she could finish speaking, she felt Rose's lips on her own. Juleka was startled and Rose started to pull away. Juleka wrapped her arms around Rose so she couldn't escape and kissed her back. She heard Rose make a very surprised noise.

* * *

**GABRIEL**

* * *

Disappointing. That's how Gabriel Agreste thought about the most recent akuma failure. He'd had a little extra time on his hands thanks to using beachwear as a theme. He had already been in the process of finishing off a new line of beachwear anyway so he was able to use one of those exsisting designs for that theme. When he felt the negative emotions from Prince Ali's fiancée, he decided to send an akuma her way. He'd been surprised when he'd caught both her and the prince though. That had worked out so exceedingly well. He'd only been able to do multiple transformations with a single akuma twice before. It was too bad in this case that the pair of them had opposing feelings towards the girl who was the focus of those strong feelings. It really kept them from being much of a challenge to Ladybug and Cat Noir. Had the conjoined genies not already had the girl in their grasp, he could have better directed them at the heroes. Unfortunately he couldn't de-akumatize one without the other either, or he would have removed the power from the prince.

He'd also been surprised when the third hero showed up. He recognized the power of the Fox Miraculous, but the user was different, or at least appeared to be. He'd had Nathalie "accidently" call the Cesaire girl's number and she'd answered, so he knew it wasn't her. He was aware of the possiblity Ladybug would find others to use since he'd learned the identities of all her and Cat Noir's allies, but he'd hoped she would have been foolish enough to keep using them anyway like she had the Bourgeois girl.

Gabriel wished he had enough minions of his own to be able to watch all of the previous miraculous holders, but he only had Nathalie to trust with such things and with him no longer letting her use the Peacock Miraculous she wouldn't have been able to anyway. He could have hired investigators but that would leave far too much of a trail, so the boon that had been learning the identities, didn't work out as well as he'd hoped.

"Would it be possible to figure out who she picked though?" He asked no one since no one was with him. "She's almost always chosen someone close to the akuma in the past, but who would she have chosen this time? She looked through the dossier he had on Rose Lavillant. Prince Ali was listed as her love interest, she was in a band with the Couffaine siblings and the Bruel boy. Foxy Night appeared to be female. That meant the Couffaine girl most likely. Gabriel went to his computer and the news footage of the incident. He frowned. At the time the Lavillant girl was being rescued he could see in the corner of one shot the head and arms of the Couffaine girl looking like she was panicking. **_Probably because her friend was being attacked. Maybe Ladybug just grabbed a random person after all._**

* * *

**ALYA**

* * *

She'd been surprised when she saw Marinette on TV. Nino had already texted Adrien about it. She was impressed that Juleka and Luka had joined in as well. Luka had been so sneaky about it too, not saying anything to anyone. She wanted to ask him about it when she got an opportunity. At least she finally knew what Marinette was up too during break. She'd been afraid her best friend had gone off to sit in misery about Adrien. She wouldn't have even suggested getting ice cream from Andre if Marinette had told her sooner about what had happened. She was glad Marinette was doing something constructive. Being on TV like that was pretty cool. Alya had her own experience being a regular co-host for Nadja's Side by Side Show. Now Marinette was getting to show off her designing skills to the world.

She'd wanted to purchase the outfits after the episode had aired, but they were way out of her budget. **_And I would have looked smoking in that outfit too,_** she'd thought. All thoughts of the show had gone right out of her head when Rose was attacked by the double akuma, or more specifically when she saw the three miraculous user show it. The cameras didn't get a good look at her, but Alya recognized the basic shape and the power. It was the Fox Miraculous and she was using the name Foxy Night. Rose had heard the name and repeated it when the reporter asked. Alya didn't know that when it had occurred though, but she felt awful. She'd known Ladybug wouldn't be able to use her again, not with Hawk Moth knowing who she was. Still it hurt, it hurt so much more then she ever would have thought possible.

"Dude, are you all right Alya?" Nino asked. Alya blinked herself to her senses.

"I'm okay, what could be wrong?" She asked.

"I believe Nino is concerned because of the new miraculous user." Max stated evenly, his high-pitched voice a little grating on Alay's nerves.

"Yeah that Foxy Night chick right?" Kim recalled.

"It's understandable if you're upset." Luka commented playing a soothing melody on his guitar.

"I'm not." Alya said weakly before closing her eyes and reconsidered her statement. "I am, I am upset. I knew it would happen in my head, but in my heart I always expected to be Rena Rouge again." She could feel tears flowing from her eyes. Even though Chloe had never been replaced, Alya wondered if this was close to how Chloe had felt knowing she wouldn't be Queen Bee again. It suddenly made her understand more why Chloe was willing to team up with Hawk Moth, though there was no way Alya would team up with the villain just to get her miraculous back. She felt Nino's familiar embrace.

"Isn't this what we're really here for?" Kim asked. "Because eventually we'll all be replaced. I know I didn't have my miraculous for long and I certainly didn't get along with Xuppu very well, but I'm gonna miss the little guy. I'll be a little sad when I see someone else as King Monkey or Monkey Man or Monkey Girl or whatever.

"Monkey Girl? Really?" Alya asked with a laugh. "Monkey Woman." She added wiping some of her tears away with the sleeves of her shirt but she was smiling again. For a moment she looked deep in thought, "No you're right, Monkey Girl sounds better then Monkey Woman." She started to laugh. She was glad she had friends like these to help her through the rough times.

* * *

**NATHALIE**

* * *

"We're putting on a dance for all of you." Alec announced as he and Nathalie stood in front of the television in the main room of the contestant quarters. While everyone looked at the pair, Nathalie noticed that Marinette, Nadia and Aiden were really looking at them. She knew Marinette had come to the conclusion that her and Alec's comments about a pool were a hint about the previous theme. Since she'd passed that one to the other two, all of them were probably looking at a clue based on how her and Alec were dressed. She smiled. They'd pretty specifically went with casual clothing, nothing that would stand out too much. Her shorts and tee-shirt were literally bought off the rack on her way into the warehouse, although they were still Gabriel Brand clothing.

"And we will be inviting your models to participate as well. So this will give you all a chance to really get to know each other. We will be your chaperones for the evening, and no you don't have to design your own outfits for it." She added with a laugh noting concern had already become evident on their faces.

"That's right. We'll have a nice collection of Gabriel Brand clothing for you to choose from for the night. Think of it as a the American's like to put it, Prom." Alec explained. We'll be holding it the day before our usual get together about theme so it doesn't interfere with the show."

"So why are we doing a dance?" Nadia asked.

"Mostly to show more interaction between everyone outside of the competition." Nathalie explained bluntly. "We've got some good stuff, but for the most part, everything recently has been a little dull."

"Gotcha." Nadia replied.

"So what kind of clothing will we have available?" Bianca asked.

"All kinds. You can put together whatever you want to wear. If you want to wear workout clothing to dance, you can, if you want to wear a nice formal gown, you can." Nathalie explained. She could tell that everyone was expecting there to be some kind of trick to it, and of course there was. She smiled sweetly.

"We'll bring you down when everything is set up so you can pick out your outfits, and we've put together temporary housing here for the models to spend the night as well." Alec finished. The contestants did seem pretty excited over the prospect.

* * *

**MARINETTE 2**

* * *

Marinette wasn't sure if she should be excited or not about the dance. She was already a pariah as far as contestants went. Virtually no one wanted to have anything to do with her. She still felt like Nadia was mostly good with everything, but that Aiden was starting to get more and more upset over her knowing all the celebrity judges. She hadn't said anything to Luka or Juleka about it and didn't want them to find out she was having a hard time with everything.

Marinette snapped herself out of her little funk. She loved Gabriel Brand clothing, and this was a chance to try on and wear just about anything she wanted. That was really exciting for her. She would occasionally go to the Gabriel Brand Boutique but she always felt guilty about trying things on that she wouldn't be able to buy, so she didn't do it very often.

"You look excited." Nadia commented.

"I am." Marinette admitted.

"Because Luka will be sleeping over?" Nadia's tone changed to a more secretive and seductive tone. She'd been so concerned about not letting Luka and Juleka know what was going on with her that she'd totally forgotten about that part. "Aw, look you're turning red."

"I um no, I um, not it's really, no I don't." Words fell from Marinette's mouth without her brain telling them what order they needed to be in.

"You're so cute right now, if only you could do the cute thing without the ditz thing, I might be able to fall in love with you." Nadia teased and gave Marinette a quick kiss on the forehead before walking away. Marinette just stared after her and with the teasing, she was fairly certain she was blushing again. **_At least Nadia is still treating me mostly the same. _**

* * *

**LUKA 2**

* * *

"It's too bad we couldn't have Kitty Section be the band for the dance." Luka said as he stood next to Marinette and his sister. Marinette mumbled something under her breath that sounded a little negative. He considered asking her about it, but decided not too. She was probably just nervous.

"We've filled this room with all sorts of clothes, both for men and women, in many different sizes, but not all sizes." Nathalie announced.

"It'll be up to you to find your outfits for the dance." Alec added. He had on his usual happy face, but Luka was certain he was giving Nathalie a little side eye. **_I wonder if she ended up being more popular then him after the first episode aired?_** He looked at his sister, who seemed rather nervous but also had a smile. **_I wonder if she's excited about trying on the clothes? I've never really known her to care that much about normie fashion, but I guess since she started modeling for Marinette she's seemed more into it. My baby sister is all growing up_**. He chuckled a little.

"And please, no violence while fighting over clothing." Nathalie commented. "Pulling items from someone else is fine, you can even tear stuff in half if you want." She joked. "Just no punching, kicking or eye gouging please."

"Or anything similar to those things. Once you are done picking out the clothes, please give us the inventory tags attacked to each garment. We're actually responsible for everything here." Alec added as the curtain that had been set up to hide the room they'd filled with the garments rose revealing them. The room had two levels of clothing, with a staircase on either side, and a clear barrier on the top level to keep people from falling off. However it also made it easy to see that there was very little in the way of organization of the clothing on either level. Luka heard groans from the contestants and some of the models. He just shrugged a little. It didn't bother him at all. "We've got some safety zones set up for you to put the items you're choosing that other contestants and models cannot take from. There is also a area in that space to use as a changing room."

"So what's the catch?" Everett asked.

"Hmm?" Alec replied.

"There has to be a catch. You put all this clothing in front of us and have us pick what we want, but it's obviously some kind of trial." The idea hadn't really occurred to Luka. He'd honestly just looked at it for face value. He glanced towards Marinette. The thoughtful expression on her face hinted she had similar thoughts to Everett.

"As far as we know, there is no _catch_." Natalie replied making air quotes with her fingers.

"There's some trick but they didn't tell the hosts." Marinette whispered so that only Juleka and Luka could hear.

"We'll have to follow your lead then." Luka whispered back as his sister nodded in agreement.

"We'll split up, look for anything you think would look good on any of us and we'll compare them and decide." Marinette whispered. Luka noted the other groups were also whispering plans to each other. "Oh and Luka, please don't' be afraid to grab stockings and tights either." Marinette added with a little laugh. He was about to retort when he realized he hadn't even thought about those kinds of things, though she obviously was teasing him a little thinking he'd feel embarrassed about grabbing those things.

"So what size are you?" He asked. He already knew what size his sister was, and Marinette was probably close, except for in height, but still.

"Um." She leaned closer to him and Juleka and whispered her sizes to them. After a moment she seemed to think about. "If you find something that is too big, grab it anyway, I'm sure we can tailor it to fit. Except for shoes. We'll really need to just get the right size shoes." She smiled. Luka nodded.

"I think we've given them enough time to talk amongst themselves." Alec stated loud enough to get everyone's attention.

"And just so you know, we're going to give you five hours to go through everything. We have a discard spot for you to use as well, and those fashions will be placed back in for others to find and decide on." Nathalie stated.

"It's time to let our contestants GO!" He shouted the last word. Marinette and Luka each ran for one of the staircases that lead to the second floor. Luka was a little torn on what to pick out for Marinette. He really wanted to see her in something sexy, but at the same time, he didn't want to show off her sexiness on national television. **_Then again she's already done that a couple of times already. Actually Marinette and Juleka have both looked pretty sexy for this show_**. He realized as he thought about the beachwear from the week prior. **_Juleka had even added the arch to her back to really make everything pop. And Marinette, I could hardly look away from that little window on the bottom of her bikini top. Wait, did I just think of my sister as sexy?! Ahhh! _**He noticed they had some cloth bags at the top of the stairs and grabbed a couple to put stuff in.

As he looked through the clothing, he understood why most everyone else seemed upset, it was hard to find stuff. He'd find a dress he though was good, but they'd only have one size of it there, but then he'd see another size a few racks down. There had to be a challenge in this selection process, but he wondered what it was. **_Would they judge the outfits put together for the dance?_** But then the variety was so different too. They called it an American Style Prom, and that would suggest fancy dress, but then they had yoga pants, and gym shorts to be selected. He'd just grab whatever, like Marinette suggested and let her decide. He froze when he came upon a hidden treasure trove of women's undergarments. Not just bras and panties, but once piece sets too. **_Are those called teddies or something?_** He shook his head. If they could only wear what was here, then they would need the underwear too. He looked through them feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. He'd never really looked at women's underwear outside of magazines and the Internet before, let alone handled them. They were so silky and smooth. He realized that he had no idea what size of those items Marinette and his sister wore, so he just grabbed a bunch and hid them in with the other clothes he'd grabbed. Finally he went back down to Marinette's assigned area in the safety zone.

The area had hard panels on three sides, with one curtain as a fourth side and another curtain in the back to act like a changing area. There was a rod to hang items on and a table with shelves under it for the non-hangables. He started to hang up some of the dresses, skirts, tops and pants and placed the underwear on the table. He realized he hadn't found any accessories or shoes when he looked. Before he could leave, Marinette came in, and by came in, it was more like barreling in to the point of running into him and knocking him off his feet. He landed with a painful oomph and a second painful oomph when her bodyweight landed on top. He felt lucky she hadn't landed with a knee on his crotch. Luka looked up at her and realized they were eye to eye.

"I'm sorry." Marinette breathed. Luka raised his hand and slid it through her hair, loosening it a little from her pigtail, his thumb caressing her cheek a gently.

"I don't mind." He whispered softly watching as those handful of light freckles around her nose darkened with the color of her skin turning red. He gently pulled her down a little closer staring as she closed her eyes, feeling her heartbeat. As he pulled her closer, Luka licked his lips. Marinette was finally going to let him kiss her. He could feel the warmth from her lips just before the curtain flew open and Marinette jumped off him, this time his crotch did not get so lucky and her knee slammed into it.

"Juleka!" Marinette exclaimed somehow having made it to her feet with that jump. Luka rolled into the fetal position holding himself, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

"Oh, oh, what happened to Luka?" She asked. Marinette turned to look at him confused**_. I hate you so much right now Juleka,_** He thought bitterly as he tried to recover. He could see the concern on Marinette's face matching his sister's own.

"Just give me a few minutes." He gasped. The girls nodded reaching down to help him up, much like he and Adrien had done for Marinette at the ice rink. He shook his head. "Just go on." He grumbled a little. The girls moved out of his way as they started hanging up some items and so on. Marinette started looking at the things they got.

"Something isn't right." She said softly. Luka finally made it back to his feet.

"What do you mean?" Juleka asked.

"I'm positive this design isn't Gabriel Agreste's design." She replied looking at a dress. She looked inside but couldn't find a brand tag. She looked at other articles of clothing. None of them had branding tags in them. They'd all been removed. Marinette started to go through everything they'd found and piled up a number of fashions. "I don't think any of these are Gabriel Brand." She whispered. "They don't look right."

"How so?" Luka asked.

"I'm not sure I can explain it. Can you both get more items?" She asked. "I want to continue going over these.

"Of course." Luka replied. He and Juleka left her alone.

* * *

**NATHALIE 2**

* * *

It was true, something in this selection process was a trial for the contestants, it was also true that that neither she nor Alec knew what it was. Nathalie kept watching the contestants running around with their models. A number of them had split up while others had stuck together. Nathalie took special interest in Marinette and her group, so it didn't take her long to notice that Marinette hadn't come back out of her group's little base. She walked back to the computer they had set up for her and Alec. Each base had a couple of cameras hidden so they could get footage from the selection process, however the changing area was camera free. She brought up Marinette's feed.

"Hm, she discarding stuff without really looking at it." Alec commented. Nathalie continued to watch her. He was right. She wasn't really holding anything up to see, instead she was looking at seams, buttons, zippers, and other bits of trim and detailing. She had two piles she was tossing stuff in. One near the door, and one near the changing room. Nathalie wished she could rewind the feed, but she couldn't do that with her set-up. **_She must be up to something, but what?_** She wondered.

Luka and Juleka returned with more items and Marinette directed them to take the clothing by the door and toss it in the discard pile before she started going through the new items. She looked over heels and jewelry, skirts and dress, shirts and blouses, and continued to separate them into those two piles. When she finished she started to hang up the items from the back pile before looking them over in a more normal fashion.

"I think she's figured something out." Nathalie said at last.

"The trick?" Alec asked. Nathalie nodded to him. "I wish we knew what it was so we knew if she knew, you know." Nathalie looked ad him and laughed a little at his phrasing. When Juleka and Luka came back again. She gave them more specific instructions on what to search for. This time it wasn't clothing; she was looking for shoes and accessories.

"It appears she's paring down her selections." Nathalie remarked as Marinette started to put outfits together. The girl was definitely doing multiple ones in different styles. She started to look at some of the other feeds. Aiden kept staring at a dress she'd picked up, looking confused. She tossed it aside and looked at another one and tossed that aside too. Her models looked at her in confusion.

"Looks like she's had the same idea as Marinette." Alec suggested.

"It does appear that way." They checked the other feeds. It appeared only Aiden and Marinette were investigating the clothing so closely. A warning buzzer rang with only a half hour left so the contestants knew they needed to get to their final selections. Once the final alarm sounded, the contestants were given dark bins to place their selections in. At the same time, the inventory tags were removed and kept separated by contestant.

"We will take these items and get the pressed and cleaned up so they look nice for tomorrow's party." Alec explained as the bins were marked for each contestant. "I hope you all had fun and please enjoy yourselves tonight."

* * *

**MARINETTE 3**

* * *

Marinette, Luka and Juleka sat on Marinette's bed talking. Since the models were usually only around the day they were needed, they didn't get much time to talk and catch up. Juleka and Luka told Marinette all about the akuma attack during their concert for the Prince Ali. Luka also mentioned the new fox superhero, while Juleka remained mostly quiet about that part. The models had been instructed to not talk about anything they may have seen when she show aired or it could mean disqualification for the contestant, so they all avoided that topic.

"They've got cots set up in one of the other areas for us to use tonight." Luka explained. "Although they did say we could move to cots into the living area here if we wanted."

"Oh, that would be kind of nice. We could fit one cot in here and two of us could share the bed. It might be a tight fit, but we could manage it." Marinette remarked innocently. When Luka winked at her she realized what she'd just said. "I mean like Juleka and I could share the bed, not you and I." She babbled at him. Juleka laughed a little while Luka chuckled at her.

"You don't want to cuddle with me?" Luka asked his voice a pleasing low tone. Marinette felt her checks heat up again.

"Um, I ah, um, er, ah." She replied bringing more laughter from her friends. Marinette whipped her pillow at Luka. "Stop that." She cried. Luka grabbed the pillow as she tried to strike him with it again and pulled her over to him, spinning her slightly so she was in his lap, his arms around her so Marinette couldn't get away. She struggled weakly against him, hating that she liked the attention.

"Should I leave?" Juleka asked.

"Maybe." Luka breathed against Marinette's ear sending a tingle along her spine and throughout her body.

"Na-na-na-no." Marinette replied in a higher then normal pitch to her voice. **_What is wrong with me? _**She wondered. Juleka shook her head and Luka loosened his grip so Marinette could slide off his lap. "If you keep acting that way, I won't let you spend the night."

"My apologies Marinette, you were just so adorable in that moment, I either needed to hold you or sing to you."

"Should have done both." Juleka remarked softly with a smile.

"Probably." He replied.

"I think I liked it better when Juleka lacked the confidence to be a smart ass." Marinette groaned. Juleka laughed. "Why don't we get one of those cots and bring it in here."

"Okay." Juleka agreed readily. Marinette figured Juleka would rather not sleep in a room with all the other models anyway.

"Don't worry, I can get it myself." Luka stated. "But in return, could you perhaps make something for dinner?"

"Deal."

* * *

**LUKA 3**

* * *

He was excited about spending the night with Marinette, even if it was only a friendly sort of thing with his sister in tow. He almost wanted to suggest to Juleka that she should find an excuse to sleep elsewhere, but that would have been cruel considering the amount of discomfort that would cause her. He knew she'd hate to be in the "barracks" style sleeping area set up for the models without him. Not that they had any reason to worry about her safety. Once he'd gotten all the girls under control, or more accurately got them to accept he wasn't interested in them, the siblings had gotten to know everyone else better. Some of the non-French speaking models had even started to understand and speak more French making it easier to communicate with them.

"Hey there. Luka, right?" He heard a voice from behind ask. He turned his head to see Nadia behind him.

"That's me." He didn't stop to talk to her, he was too excited to waste the time.

"Have you broken down any of Marinette's barriers yet?" She asked him as she walked next to him. He couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. "I'll take that as a no. Are you going to be staying with her tonight?"

"My sister and I are, yes."

"Oh, OHHH!"

"Not like that." He groaned. She laughed, and she had a pleasant laugh he noted. She wrapped an arm around his and continued to walk with him.

"So how are things going with Marinette?" Nadia asked.

"We're fine." He remarked looking at her arm around his as if willing her to remove it. She did not.

"Let me guess, she's getting over a broken heart and you're waiting to pick up the pieces." That did cause Luka to pause mid step. "I knew it." She whispered softly to him. "You know that kind of relationship never really works out dontcha?" Luka pulled his arm away from her for that comment.

"Aren't you friends with her?" He asked annoyed.

"Friends sometimes share." She replied with a little smirk and a wink.

"Not in this case." He said and continued walking at a faster pace. He'd thought with how high her heels were she wouldn't be able to keep up with him, but she had no trouble at all.

"Lets be honest, I don't think she's toying with you, at least not on purpose, but I see how you look at her and how she looks at you."

"Oh, and how does she look at me?"

"Like she's confused and conflicted and I don't think you'll end up on the winning side of whatever conflict it is, so you should just stop trying." He entered the space with all the cots set up and noticed a couple others were already missing. It appeared most if not everyone was planning on sleeping in the contestant quarters.

"I'm not trying, I'm being a friend who's there for her." Luka replied annoyed.

"Uh huh." He went to the cots that had been placed for him and Juleka so he could grab one. Before he could, he was spun around and pushed back so he fell on it. Before he knew it Nadia was on top of him, pinning his arms down with her legs. She rested herself on top of him, bringing her face close to his, caressing his checks with her thumbs, as her hands went into his hair, almost mirroring what he'd done with Marinette not too long ago. Her touch was so gentle and sweet. He wondered if Marinette had felt this way when he'd touched her.

"Stop." He stated a little weakly.

"Think about it Luka, if I win this competition, I'll be moving here permanently. You and I could be a thing, a real thing, not that weird will she or wont she you have with Marinette." She whispered in his ear. "I'm not afraid to commit to a relationship."

"Seriously, stop." He stated annoyed now. He didn't want to hurt her, he also didn't want to continue being seduced by her either. "I love. . ." She cut off his words with her mouth.

* * *

**NATHALIE 3**

* * *

"You could tell Marinette about this, and I would be willing to take all the blame, but don't forget, I'm pretty much the only friend she has left here." Nadia stated. Nathalie hadn't been able to take her eyes off the monitor since she saw Nadia and Luka walking together. She hadn't expected that girl to go after Marinette's boy toy like that. She would have expected it from Aiden, who was certainly the sneaky backstabber type, but Nadia, Nadia seemed like she genuinely liked Marinette.

"Talk about a betrayal." Alec said behind her, Nathalie startled a little. She hadn't realized anyone had come up behind her. "We were hoping something like this would happen, but that pairing is surprising."

"I agree. I was very surprised to see that happen. Doesn't appear as if anyone else saw them, so it'll really be up to those two to say anything, at least until after we're done with the show and Marinette gets a chance to watch it if she wants."

"Even if she doesn't, I'd be willing to bet she has friends who will watch it and tell her what happened." Alec supplied. **_If there was a way to have her find out on the final day, that would really put her over the top in dark emotions,_** Nathalie thought. She would need to consider that. Of course if Luka or Nadia tells her what happened before then, it wouldn't matter. She would need to pay more attention to them all and maybe consider if she could push them one way or another.

* * *

**JULEKA 2**

* * *

She and Marinette shared the bed while her brother took the cot. At some point in the night, she found herself alone on the bed and went to use the bathroom. On her way back, Juleka decided she'd join her brother on the cot and lay back down there. When the person she was with started moving around too much, she went back up to the bed and lay there again finding she was alone on the bed for a bit. She finally fell asleep and then felt a strange tickling sensation at her ear as she could feel a body behind her. She felt her hair moved aside and some lips latch gentle onto her neck. Her eyes went wide. She had no idea Marinette felt that way about her. Not that it mattered, she had Rose and Rose was all she wanted. She turned around quickly to the startled eyes of Luka. They both screamed in surprise.

"What's going on?" Marinette asked sleepily from the cot raising herself up on one elbow. She looked like she was trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes. Before bringing the back of her hand up to rub her face.

"Nothing!" The siblings said in unison.

"How did you two end up on the bed?" She asked. "Actually, more importantly, why are you in my bed Luka?" She asked wide-awake.

"I came back from the bathroom and found two people on the cot." He explained, "So I took the bed."

"Wait, then what was Marinette doing on the cot?" Juleka asked.

"What am I doing on the cot?" Marinette replied confused. Luka smiled at Marinette, but Juleka could sense a little tension in her brother.

"Wait, hold on. Then why were you kissing my neck?" Juleka asked before realizing what she'd just blurted out.

"Um." He replied.

"Kissing your neck? Wait, did you think that was me?" Marinette asked stunned.

"Um, would you believe me if I said I thought it was my arm?" He asked dumbly.

"For the sake of this morning, yes, I will." She replied.

"Yeah, but what about me?" Juleka asked. "I'm traumatized here." The nice thing about being with her brother, she always felt more confident, more able to just talk rather then keep quiet. Luka just gave her a little shove off the bed and onto the cot where she rolled into Marinette.

"How do you think I feel?" He asked. "It's like double the trauma for me." She was a little confused by his phrasing, but Juleka had to laugh anyway. It was pretty funny, and it was just her neck.

"So, we should probably eat and get ready for the dance." Marinette suggested.

"Yeah, good idea." Luka remarked.

* * *

**MARINETTE 4**

* * *

Marinette looked at everyone as they waited to be let into the "ball room". Pretty much every group had gone with different styles for the members, except for Nadia's group. They'd gone for a more unified look throughout. Everyone expected there was some sort of "trick" to the dance, and Marinette was certain she'd figured it out, but really no one knew for sure. Juleka was wearing a more semi-formal dance look, and had insisted on a skirt that would spread when she twirled. That had been an unexpected request from her. Luka went with a more formal look for his, wearing something that resembled a tuxedo and dear God did he look handsome in it. Marinette couldn't help but imagine him as a prince in a modern fairy tail. **_Or maybe as a groom_**, her mind added. She had to physically shake the image out of her head. And finally she went for more of a street or break dancing look, with loose pants, and a sports bra and headband. She almost went for the red top with the black spots however since she'd come dangerously close to wearing a Ladybug costume for that music video she'd preferred to stay away from that combination of colors.

Finally, they were allowed inside and saw that the show went all out with the theme of "prom" with steamers everywhere and even used the bench seating the audience was given during the judging portions of the show to look like a school gymnasium. As they entered music started, a tango and a moment later, Alec and Nathalie danced their way out in front of everyone one. Alec dipped Nathalie and at the same time, the song changed to some pop music. As Nathalie got up, Alec ripped her gown off and tossed it aside along with the classic braided bun hair, obviously a wig she'd been wearing. Nathalie ended up looking like she was dressed for a dance party. She danced around Alec a moment before pulling his clothing off, putting him also in casual dancewear. The pair now danced at a faster pace listening to the music, which had changed. Then suddenly the music changed again to some alternative techno beat like in a club, and once more clothing was ripped off the pair leaving them in bright colored club wear, and the lights went down with black lights turning on to highlight the fluorescent colors of their outfits, making the pair glow as they danced with abandon. Nathalie's hair had changed too, now glowing neon pink in the light as she whipped it around. As the music stopped Nathalie ended her dance in a split while Alec slid in behind her on both knees with his arms stretched out wide. Both were breathing heavily.

"Oh my God." Someone whispered behind her. Marinette was stunned, and not just because she was surprised to see Nathalie do the splits like that. Alec got up first and helped Nathalie to her feet. The contestant and models started clapping for them, with the addition of some hooting, while others hollered and a few whistled.

"Thank you!" Nathalie called out. "Now the DJ will be taking requests, and you're all free to enjoy the dancing and buffet we have set up for you." Marinette looked at the DJ booth as soon as it was mentioned and let out a relieved breath. With the way things had been going she'd been seriously expecting Nino to be the DJ. Luka immediately took her hand and leaned in to whisper to her.

"Shall we dance?" Marinette shivered a little at his breath next to her ear. She didn't trust herself to speak and just nodded. The first song was a slow song and their bodies were pressed against each other as they danced.

"You seem a little distracted." Marinette mentioned. "Is everything okay?" She was trying to distract herself a little from their closeness.

"It's nothing to bother you with right now." He replied. "You've got so much more to deal with right now then I do."

"You've been there for me Luka, I want to be there for you too." She replied. He gave her a smile.

"Trust me, its not something you need to think about right now, maybe when you're done filming the show." She gave him an irritated look and he laughed. "Marinette all you need to know right now, is that the notes I hear in my heart when I'm with you are the music of my soul." Marinette could feel her cheeks heat up, and Luka leaned down as if to kiss her and as the music stopped they were interrupted.

"Lets switch partners." Nadia stated and grabbed Luka for the next song while leaving Marinette with her partner, who was Nadia's male model. She noticed Luka grimace when Nadia grabbed him away. It was obvious he didn't want to be with her. As that song ended Marinette made sure she and her partner were near Nadia and Luka.

"Lets switch again." Marinette suggested and grabbed Nadia away and danced with her. She noted that Luka and Nadia's model didn't bother to start dancing with each other. "Were you hitting on Luka?" Marinette asked.

"Is that what he said?" Nadia asked in return.

"No. I just noticed his reaction to dancing with you. Very un Luka like."

"I see, and if I was?" Nadia asked.

"It's okay with me if you do, but if he doesn't like the attention I don't think you should." She replied. Nadia looked surprised. "I'm still getting over something, and I care about Luka, but I refuse to use him to feel better. I don't want to hurt him, and I don't want to see him get hurt." Her voice was softer. Nadia seemed to study her.

"Fine, I'll leave him alone, for now." She replied and smiled. As the song ended she gave Marinette a little dip and a quick kiss. "But only for now." Marinette was too stunned to react. Nadia left her alone and she looked over to see Luka was dancing with his sister, giving her a little spin so her skirt flared out. Juleka looked like she was practically having the time of her life.

"How did your dance go?" Luka asked when they all got together again.

"It went fine, I told Nadia to stop hitting on you."

"What?" He asked and Marinette shrugged rather nonchalantly.

"I saw your face. I figured she must have been annoying you and that she was probably hitting on you."

"Yeah, something like that." He replied. "Thank you Marinette, you're my hero." The dance had gone on for more then an hour and a half, with people swapping out dance partners pretty regularly. Marinette and even Juleka danced with many of the others there, although a lot were hesitant to dance with her. She was a little upset about it, if she were being perfectly honest with herself. She leaned against the wall and watched as Luka danced with Aiden. Aside from Aiden wearing a sort of punk skirt outfit, it wasn't too hard for her to imagine that it was Adrien dancing with Luka. She kind of wanted to join them.

"You're drooling Marinette." Juleka spoke softly to her.

"I'm what?' She asked and wiped her mouth again. She really needed to get control of her imagination. Before Juleka could answer, Gabriel Agreste lit up the large monitor that had earlier been playing random patterns to the music.

"Stop the Music." He ordered and the music stopped. Everyone turned to look at the screen. "It appears that some counterfeit Gabriel Brand clothing ended up in the selections." The designers gasped. Marinette smiled. She'd noticed that something was wrong with a bunch of the clothes. The seams, some of the button attachments and even the material quality had been off. "I've decided that those who know my brand the best should get their full time to work on the next theme." The others started to mumble and grumble. "The producers have already made a list based on the percentage of true Gabriel Brand clothing each designer used. The one who used the most will get their full time. The others will lose two hours for every spot down on the list. Nathalie if you would please." Nathalie pulled out a sheet of paper to read aloud.

"At 94% and full time, Marinette.

At 88% and minus two hours, Aiden.

At 73% and minus four hours, Nadia.

At 71% and minus six hours, Bianca.

At 70% and minus eight hours, Everett.

And finally at 57% and minus ten hours Bobby."

"That being said, the base time for the next project is our standard seventy-two hours. Like with the previous theme, you will all start at the same time and be stopped when your time is up. Your time starts right now!" Gabriel stated but unlike Alec and Nathalie he did not yell at the end.

* * *

**GABRIEL 2**

* * *

He almost felt a little guilty when he saw the numbers on who used the counterfeit Gabriel Brand items. He wanted Marinette Dupain-Cheng akumatized, no he needed her to be akumatized, and yet, she really did seem to be a true fan of his brand. He'd watched the video of her going through the garments her team had selected. He'd looked over the tag numbers that went with them. Those few items she used that were counterfeit, she'd looked over the longest. When they'd returned the items, he would need to have those ones sent to him for his own critique of their build and how close to his own had they gotten. The more this competition went on, the more he wanted Marinette to actually be his apprentice.

Of course if he got everything he wanted by the end, her possible destruction would still be worth it. It didn't matter to him how much of a fan she was, how good of an apprentice she would be, or even her friendship and feelings towards his son. No, none of that mattered as long as he got Emilie back. However, much like his concerns about making Nathalie whole again, if he could figure out a way to resolve this and still end up with Marinette as his apprentice, he would gladly do so. However again, like with making Nathalie whole again, if he had to choose between the girl and his wife, his wife would come first. At least he knew he still had somewhat of a conscience left though. Whether that would do any good for those in his life besides his wife was questionable.

* * *

**NATHALIE 4**

* * *

Nathalie had chosen to wear the gown portion of her dance outfit when it came to doing the rest of the show while Alec had chosen to go with the second outfit. Both had to be quickly altered to fit properly since they were no longer wearing the other outfits under them. The gown was Nathalie's favorite of the three, although the Clubwear had been a close second. Along with the clothes being easily removable, they'd had different coverings and parts that had to be moved and removed as the changes occurred. With any luck, people didn't notice that too much. One of the things Alec had to pull down were boot like coverings for her heels for the final clubwear outfit to make it look like she was wearing boots instead of the strappy heels she had on with the gown and party outfits. She's had to pull down hidden sleeves for his party outfit to get the layered look it had. They'd practiced the dance and the quick change over and over again until they could do it with their eyes closed. She'd watched the performance they'd given and it looked flawless. She loved it.

Her and Alec had done their usual interviews and questions while the designers were working. Even though some had been upset last time when they were forced to stop, this time they took it in stride. Each designer started off with different styles for their dancewear in sketches and then pared those down to their final designs. Most of them had multiple ones at the beginning of the construction process, though eventually finalized them. One of the things she'd noted with Marinette and others had started doing, was using one of her discarded designs to wear herself. Nathalie hadn't realized it the first couple of times. She'd thought Marinette just used her own clothing, but for the most part, what she wore she'd also made at the competition. Some things were her own, like the Jagged Stone Concert tee-shirt, but that had tended to be an exception.

Nathalie had a chance to take a good look at the cut off denim shorts Marinette had worn during the swimsuit judging. She'd honestly found them to be pretty humorous when she saw them. She like most other woman had the same complaint about the front pockets in woman's jeans; simply they weren't really deep enough to be useful, practically non-existent. Marinette's had no open pocket at all and the material that peaked out of the bottom was literally taped into place to look like it had pockets. She hadn't even thought about the kinds of shortcuts the designers used in the competition either. Sometimes gluing, stapling and other temporary holds instead of sewing. They only needed to look good for the judging and they really weren't giving them a whole lot of time to finish. She wondered if she should ask Gabriel if he did the same thing? Maybe at first he did, but she was betting that in the present he wasn't. Or was he? He didn't have much more time then the designers to work on his items either. Maybe she just needed to look at his previous designs closer. That would need to wait; they still had to take the judges around.

Nathalie connected with Gabriel and followed the others. She didn't pay too much attention to what was being said this round. She just looked over the designs herself. Honestly, she felt they all showed a great deal of talent, although she wasn't sure she could truly judge it. It was just there were a number of items she'd like to wear herself. She'd wanted to order the clothing online, but as a part of the production team, she wasn't allowed to as it could show a certain amount of favoritism. Finally they got to Marinette's design. She'd gone for more semiformal dancewear.

"I thought about what I would want if I were going to a wedding, not my own wedding of course, I don't know who I'm going to marry yet, I mean, I don't have any prospects right now, I mean." She blabbered. Nathalie noted that Luka had frowned during her attempt to make a coherent sentence.

"We understand Marinette, if you could just move on." Gabriel stated sounding slightly amused. As usual Marinette had set up a little display around the platform to look a little like it could have been a wedding setting. Luka and Juleka danced together a little and as Juleka got on point to do a spin, Luka pulled away the top layer of the dress's skirt. Marinette stared appearing surprised by Juleka's dance move.

"I love having a longer dress to wear at weddings, but they skirts can get in the way once you start dancing, and I thought it would be great to take off the longer part of the skirt. You can also wear it like a cape afterwards." Once Luka and Juleka stopped dancing, Juleka fastened the skirt around her neck. There were even holes in it for her arms to go through.

"Very creative." Gabriel stated. The others went back up on the stage and Alec stood front and center to announce the celebrity judge. Though one of the other judges commented that Marinette hadn't really followed the theme as well as she should have.

"I'd like to introduce you all to this weeks' celebrity Judge, Clara Nightingale." He called out. Music began to play as she danced her way across the stage. The audience and contestants cheered. Nathalie glanced at Marinette who clapped along with the others, looking unconcerned. Nathalie smiled a little brighter. She already knew how this would play out.

* * *

**MARINETTE 5**

* * *

**_Thank God it's not someone I really know. There is no way she's going to remember me from the music video auditions_**, she thought relieved.

"I'm so happy to be here and thank you for all of your cheer." Clara sang as she danced, matching the music that played. "I'm so glad this opportunity arose, so I could look at all of your clothes." **_How does she manage to rhyme and sing everything all the time? _**Marinette wondered and not for the first time. **_When Cat Noir and I had to do it, it had been so hard._** As usual when Clara was seen in public she continued to dance about. "I do hope you approve of my assessments as I look over the designs of the contestants." **_Does she think of rhymes ahead or time or does she do those on the fly? _**"By what magic do my eyes see, is that Marinette, can it be?"

"What?" Marinette cried.

"Are you kidding me?" Bianca added. Alec looked like he wanted to cry.

"You know Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" Nathalie asked.

"Oh yes, she was part of a group that recorded a dance and it was one that made it in my own video per chance." Alec looked a little relieved at that. "Although she'd been at the video audition to cut the rug, and was originally going to be my Ladybug."

"What?" Alec practically screamed. Nathalie looked surprised herself.

"Oh that's right, I forgot about that since they went the other way with the video." She commented.

"What?" Alec asked again looking at her. "You knew about this?"

"Oh, I was there representing Mr. Agreste, since he'd designed the Ladybug and Cat Noir costumes. I honestly didn't pay attention to the selections and I only vaguely remember it because Clara mentioned it. Mayor Bourgeois put an end to the video shoot because of permits not being properly filed." Surprisingly Clara had stopped dancing and was staring at those two as was everyone else.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong, but the impression she left on me was strong."

"No, you did nothing wrong, the fault is ours." Nathalie stated, "Mostly mine. We knew she'd been part of the music video but since half of Paris's teenagers had been in it, we didn't think it would be an issue. Because I had been so enamored with the audition Chloe Bourgeois gave, I hadn't paid any attention to the other girl who'd been chosen. I did not realize she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng." Alec looked annoyed at Nathalie, which was a major change since he often looked like a puppy in love when he looked at her.

"Well Clara, why don't we go ahead and look at the designs and ask your questions." He suggested.

"I would like to see all of their passions that were used to make such wonderful fashions." Clara replied. Alec whispered something to Nathalie and she left to go back stage while he took Clara around. When she got to Marinette, it was a little awkward. Clara certainly seemed a little upset about the possible issue she caused with her comment. Marinette did her best to make her feel better about it, which she noticed brought a lot of dirty looks from the other competitors. **_At least she's dancing again, but_** **_I can't believe she actually remembered me,_** Marinette thought. **_Under other circumstances that would have been the coolest thing ever._** Once Clara made it back to the judges' table and discussed things for a little bit and logged in her points, Nathalie came back out.

"This was fully my fault." She stated. "I take total responsibility for it. I was also one of the people in charge of vetting our judges and I should have made the connection between the two. If I had been more diligent, Clara wouldn't have been selected to be a judge." Clara looked absolutely upset, like she wanted to cry. Alec did his best o comfort her. She'd stopped moving again and just stood still. "As we've had some other circumstances were we've only given a portion of points because of prior relationships, we'll be doing the same again here." There was an uproar in the crowd, mostly from Tom Dupain who was present this time around. He and Sabine took turns going so they wouldn't have to shut down the bakery.

"That's not fair, you said yourself it was your fault." He yelled.

"Papa, please." Marinette begged. Others started to yell at him.

"SILENCE!" Gabriel yelled from his screen and everyone got quiet. "We have decided since it was and unfortunate mistake of my assistant, we will only deduct twenty percent of the points to cover possible bias in this case. Nathalie was correct in that she should have caught it ahead of time. This situation is unfair to all of our contestants. If anyone cares to disagree with that decision they are free to leave." With that, the rest of the judging had been a blur. Marinette ended up in first place, with Aiden in the second place slot. Bobby and Bianca were the bottom two and Bianca was the one who ultimately lost.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Luka asked after the filming was over and Marinette had gone off on her own.

"I think you'd be better off asking Clara that." She remarked. Clara had stayed around for a little bit to sign autographs. Jagged Stone had done that as well, though everyone had been happier then.

"There is definitely a negative vibe here." He commented. "I'm surprised no one has been akumatized over it."

"Me too actually." She remarked. That was one of the reasons she'd decided to do the competition, so Ladybug would be close at hand if Hawk Moth interfered. "You know when he'd akumatized Max's mom into Star Train, I think we went outside of his control range. I wonder if that's what happening here. That maybe we're too far for him to actually akumatize anyone." **_If I don't have to worry about anyone here being akumatized, then maybe I should drop out?_**

"At least that means your safe from that happening." He tried to sound cheerful about it.

"I think I'd take an akuma attack over this." She said before she realized it.

"Over this? Is something else going on?" He looked concerned.

"It's nothing." She looked at him and knew she wouldn't be able to get away with that statement. "It's just with all these judges knowing me, the others have been pretty much ignoring me. If it wasn't for Aiden and Nadia, I would be alone. Although Aiden's started to distance herself from me, and I keep wondering when Nadia will too." She saw a strange expression pass over Luka's face, a little guilty almost, and wondered if he felt guilty for not being able to be here for her outside of the official times the models were available.

"Do you want to quit?" He asked. She looked at him and bit her lip.

"A little."

"Only a little?"

"Yes. I honestly think what's stopping me, is just that I started this, and I'm doing so well. It really is a great opportunity and I think this may be a real lesson for me. If I was Gabriel Agreste's apprentice I'm sure there would be a lot of designers who would look at me the same way. It's like this is giving me a chance to toughen up or something."

"Sounds like you know what you really want to do then."

"You're right. Thank you Luka." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

* * *

**ADRIEN**

* * *

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this." Adrien grumbled from inside his bathroom. Kagami was waiting for him in his room.

"Because you thought it would be funny to do." Kagami replied.

"Yeah that was all theoretical, you know before I actually had to do it." He complained before stepping out, wearing the women's Rock and Roll outfit Marinette had designed. Both he and Kagami had paid extra for expedited service and shipping of their orders so they had come in a couple days prior. Kagami herself had changed into Marinette's men's design. She had not worn it over and had put it on while waiting for Adrien in his bedroom. Adrien had taken a much longer time to get changed than Kagami had. He'd had more issues figuring out how to put the clothes on.

"You look cool." Kagami stated. "But I thought you said you knew how to do make-up?"

"I do, I did. This is kinda how they do it when I'm shooting."

"Ah, I see. Let me fix that then." She pulled out a make-up kit out of her bag.

"You do make-up? I've never seen you wear any."

"I wear it all the time Adrien." She replied. "Do you think girl's eyelashes stand out like this naturally?" He was about to answer but she went on. "Better yet, do you think my mother would let me go out if there way any flaw on my skin?"

"How would your mother even know?" He asked and quickly covered his mouth. "I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that." Kagami just laughed.

"It is a good question. To be honest with you, the servants would tell her. Most of them like me, but all of them fear her." She explained as she started working on his make-up.

"Oh." He replied. "By the way, you look pretty awesome in that. I think I'd rather see you in this though."

"Maybe next time." She looked at him and frowned. "Something else is missing. Oh, I know." She went to his sock drawer and pulled out a few pairs then went to slide them into his top. "Hold on, you are not wearing a bra?"

"Of course not."

"No panties either?"

"Of course not." She looked at him and then she slipped her jacket off and her hands went behind her back. A moment later she pulled an arm into her top. "What are you doing?" He asked just as her bra made an appearance.

"I am fixing what is missing." If anyone asked him to explain or describe what happened immediately after that, Adrien would never have been able to do so. Kagami and moved so fast that before he knew it, he was wearing her bra stuffed with his socks.

"What, how?" He questioned. She gave him one of her rare true smiles. "You're not about to do that with your panties are you?" He asked a little scared.

"Of course not." She replied mimicking him from earlier. "That would be very weird."

"Only that?" He asked. She nodded. "You are not at all like the girls in anime." He half joked. She looked at him and rubbed her throat a little before speaking in a much higher pitched cute anime girl voice.

"Oh Adrian-chan, you would prefer if I talked that this?"

"Okay, Adrian-chan sounds weird." His words came out slowly.

"How about Adrien-sempai?" She asked smiling sweetly. "I could be your cute little kouhai." She continued with the voice. He knew he was blushing. "Or maybe you would prefer I call you oni-san? " She even shifted her stance so she was looking up at him through her bangs and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Okay, okay stop it."

"Are you sure oni-san?" She was still doing the cute voice, and honestly he really liked the cute voice. She moved closer to him

"Look the show is starting." He stated to distract her. She pouted, Kagami actually pouted and it was super adorable but also super out of place with the outfit she was wearing. They moved to sit on the couch.

"Nathalie looks gorgeous." Kagami commented in her normal voice when his father's personal assistant walked on stage.

"Wow, she does. She should wear something like that more often." Kagami elbowed him in the side looking slightly annoyed. He laughed. "Why is Marinette dressed like a schoolgirl?" He asked confused when they contestants came out for the judging.

"Probably so you would ask that question." Kagami stated or joked. Adrien honestly couldn't tell for sure. She looked over at him a moment. "You are wearing a skirt, you should close your legs. You are rather exposed right now."

"Opps." He closed his legs.

"Would you like me to dress like a schoolgirl, sempai?" She asked going back to her cutesy voice.

"You already do." He stated. He could tell it was the wrong thing to say as he could suddenly feel a menacing presence near him for a moment. He was afraid to look at her, but he could hear her take a deep breath.

"What about a sailor-fuku?" He sat up straight and turned to look at her slowly. "Would you like to see me in a sailor-fuku, sempai?" She asked with a sweet yet evil smile.

"I feel like there is no correct answer I can give to that question." He stated a little terrified. Kagami laughed.

"I think that gives me my answer actually." Her voice returned to normal. "Ah, look at Juleka!"

"Is she? What is she?" The ruler came out and smacked her hand. Adrien and Kagami both started to laugh.

"Oh no." Adrien stated with a little dread when Nadja walked out on stage.

"What's wrong?"

"Marinette babysits for her." Adrien explained. "That's not good. After last week with Jagged Stone, this is bad, very bad. I think you were right last week about doing something."

"Adrien, I know you want to, but you said yourself, if you tried to talk to your father about her, she could be kicked off."

"I know, but what happens if this happens again? You can already see the anger on the faces of some of the contestants." Adrien stood up while he was talking. Someone could get akumaized and attack her.

"I am sorry to tell you this Adrien, but you cannot always be her rescuer. She needs to be able to stand up for herself and she won't be able to if you keep trying to help her."

"I, I." Adrien knew she was right, but why did she sound so angry saying it? Actually when had he ever really gone to Marinette's rescue before?

"At least she made it to second place." Kagami stated as if to distract Adrien. "Look lets just order the outfits. That's the best we can do to help her without getting her into trouble."

"All right." He pouted this time as he brought up the page on his computer.

"I look forward to seeing you wear that next week." Kagami sounded more cheerful again. Adrien turned to look at her with a wicked grin of his own.

"Actually, I got Alya's sizes to order for her." Kagami looked crestfallen. Alya had not wanted to let Adrien order the clothes for her, she didn't want to feel like a charity case, but he talked her into it. _"After all, if I'm going to order the clothes anyway, I'd rather get them for someone to wear."_ She'd finally caved.

"I guess I'll just have to order mine in your size then." Kagami commented.

"Wait, what?"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**CONFESSIONALS**

* * *

**BIANCA**

She did not even properly follow the theme this week. Yes I'm talking about Marinette. Part of the reason Aimee lost last week was not properly following the theme. The theme was dance, and she made a dress that converted for dancing, like something you'd see on a damn Barbie doll. It wasn't just a dance outfit. This just proves that her knowing the guest judges is why she keeps placing in the top two every week. It's bull-BEEP-!

**MARINETTE**

Normally I would love the idea of Kitty Section playing, but honestly the first thing I thought of was how everyone else would complain that I also knew the band. I just hope I didn't hurt Luka's feelings when I grumbled about it, because I was really glad he and Juleka were there. I really needed the company of friends, especially after everything with Clara Nightingale. I felt so bad for her. I was surprised she even remembered me at all though. I don't see how I could have made that much of an impression on her.

**NADIA**

Luka was pretty resistant at first, more so then any other guy, but obviously he gave into me in the end. If I'd wanted to, I could have gone all the way with him, but there was no way I was going to do _that_ on camera, but maybe before I leave Paris if I lose, or after I move here if I win. I only use _if_ in these cases because obviously Marinette is Gabriel Agreste's favorite and that's even without considering all the judges know her.

**AIDEN**

Seriously, how many celebrities does she know? This is getting crazy. I swear I'm going to lose it if it happens again next week. At this point she needs to be taken off the show. I'm sorry, I really liked her at the beginning, and I know it's not her fault, but seriously, remove her. It's not fair to the rest of us.

* * *

**BONUS:**

* * *

To those who had never watched Clara Nightingale's **_Miraculous_** video, nothing would have seemed off about the copy that originally went around to the producers of show to vet her as a guest judge. However, to those who were familiar with it may have noticed some changes to it. A number of scenes had been cropped down. It would seem that this was done to focus the attention to specific students in the video, or perhaps to cut other certain students out of the video. One such scene showed a certain contestant and her male model only. The other boy, a professional model himself, had been removed from that scene. It was not the only altered scene, but it was the most important one.

* * *

**NOTES:**

* * *

So before Queen Bee actually appeared on the show, I wrote a few fan fictions about her using the information on her powers I could find and it all turned out to be wrong. Lol, and I feel stupid now. That's why I ended up giving Juleka the Fox Miraculous instead of say the tiger. Basically I want to use the known powers instead of the unknown ones.

In case you were wondering, since I didn't specify it as part of the illusion since we only saw that from Cat Noir's perspective, yes Foxy Night did include the image of Juleka with her illusion, just in case as requested by Ladybug. I couldn't figure out a good way to fit that in to explain why Gabriel saw it on the news without giving it away before his part.

**Typos**

**Reveal – Releave **

"Give her to me, I'll protect her." Cat Noir called to the red one. He noticed that Rose seemed to have passed out, at least he hoped she'd **passed on** and not, no he didn't want to think of that possibility.

I love when typos change the meaning of something such as below

_"Just no punching, **licking** or eye gouging please."_

**Marinette's Bikini top from previous chapter –** It's inspired by a Bikini Top that Target is selling. _Women's ribbed front cut out bralette bikini top – Xhilaration_ in case I did a horrible job of describing it.

**Marinette's Freckles – **This is questionable to me. When I watch the show, I don't see them, but they appear in a lot of fan art and are even mentioned on the Wiki page. I figured I'd go with the whole barely visible unless she blushes route. lol

I'm surprised that no one has pointed out that this fic is **Gabriel's Obsession** and I have him in so little. I honestly thought he'd play a bigger role, and if he was in person hosting, he would have been. When I realized that would have been so far out of character for him and used Nathalie, I had no idea it would become the Marinette and Nathalie show. Lol.

**Stay Safe**

**Peace and Love!**


	8. Chapter 8

Gabriel's Obsession Chapter 8

* * *

**THE GORILLA**

* * *

"My father did give me permission to go out, but I'd really like you to take me to where you've been taking Nathalie." Adrien requested. The Gorilla just looked at him. "Please?" the boy added. The Gorilla rolled his eyes and lumbered towards the entrance to the garage. "Thanks." Adrien added as he followed.

He was fond of the boy and didn't mind so much risking a little bit of trouble with Mr. Agreste. After all, he doubted the man would ever fire him for something so trivial as taking Adrien for a drive. The closest he'd come to it was when Adrien had run away to see a movie and even then Mr. Agreste had apologized to the Gorilla afterwards.

He'd been part of the American Special Forces in his youth with a stellar record. He was a linguistics expert, with fluency in five different languages and a working knowledge of four others. He worked as both a solider with his massively powerful frame and a translator. He'd been well liked by both his C.O.s and the men who served under him. Then came the IED incident and attack where his team was transporting an ambassador in the Middle East. Half of his squad had not survived, and he'd ended up with damage to his larynx. He had been devastated to learn that he would no longer be able to talk.

His commanding officer wanted him to stay on once he'd healed, but the Gorilla did not think he could contribute to his country in the state he was in. Instead he moved back to the States where he hoped to find employment. Of course being a translator who couldn't talk wasn't very helpful for his job prospects. Instead, he'd moved to California near Silicon Valley, assuming he could easily get a job in security with one of the big tech companies there. He had been wrong, very wrong.

It wasn't even his disability that had been a hindrance, after all they couldn't legally turn him away for that. No, it was his military history. He'd received an honorable discharge after he'd recovered, he had a purple heart, and his record was spotless. The problem wasn't anything in his history; it was that he'd _been in_ the military. The elitists in the big tech companies did not think it would fit with their images to have an ex-military person on their security team.

Unfortunately it never occurred to him that he wouldn't be able to find employment, so the apartment he rented was more expensive then he could afford on what he received for his disability and military compensations. As it turned out, not many in that area wanted to hire someone who'd been in the military, instead they looked down upon him for serving his country. Eventually he'd had to start selling parts of his super hero figure collection. He'd loved collecting them, both based on real super heroes and fictional ones. It had been his passion. Eventually he ran out of money and lost his apartment and ended up homeless on the streets.

He stayed in shelters when he needed to but he'd been in worst conditions while on his tours of duty, so he wasn't too bothered by being out on the streets. He just needed to let some money build up in his accounts so he could move someplace a little friendly, perhaps Texas. This time he would make certain he did not rent a place that he couldn't afford on what he was brining in, just in case he couldn't find employment there, but from his understanding, Texas was considered friendlier to the military to start with. So in about a month, maybe two he'd have enough for transportation and first and last months rent on a decent apartment. He'd already been using a computer at the local library to search for places.

Then one day while sleeping near a dumpster, having used a plastic sheet as a make-shift tent, he heard a commotion. He looked out and saw a gang of teenagers harassing a couple. The man was tall but looked ridiculously scrawny and the woman was stunning. Their clothing had been ripped and one could clearly see that whatever had been covering the woman's legs was all together missing as they were bare and he could make out the stays of a garter belt attached to ripped stockings. The man was keeping the teenagers away from the woman as best he could. The teens were telling them what they were going to do with her body when they got her away from him and what they would do with him when they "knocked his ass out". None of it sounded pleasant.

The Gorilla rose from his spot causing his make-shift tent to fall away and some lighter debris on it to fall to the streets. It was almost like watching a sea monster come out of the ocean. One of the teenagers actually screamed. It brought a smile to the Gorilla's face, and that smile apparently scared a couple other of those gang members. They rushed him and he made short work of them. He looked back at the man and woman who seemed relieved but then the woman screamed. It was strange too, because she hadn't screamed at all during their confrontation with the teens, but then she pointed to his side. The Gorilla didn't look but moved his hand to touch the spot. It came back wet and sticky with blood. Apparently he'd been stabbed and hadn't noticed, but with his adrenaline letting up he felt it and watched as the world went black around him.

He'd woken up a in a hospital. It hadn't been like in the movies where someone was waiting for him to wake up, he'd been alone. The doctor told him he'd been lucky, no vital organs had been hit, but he came close to bleeding out. It was on the third day after he'd woken that he had visitors. It took him a moment to place them, but he realized they were the man and woman from the alley.

"Are. You. Well?" The man asked as if he needed to think about the words. The Gorilla nodded. "Am. Glad. Hear." He stated. The Gorilla smiled. "I believe you no home?" The Gorilla nodded again with just a slight smirk from the way the man was talking. The man frowned from what seemed to be the lack of verbal replies. His wife however looked at him before speaking.

"Dear, I think maybe he can't talk." She stated in French. The Gorilla nodded again.

"You understand French?" The man asked switching to what appeared to be his native tongue. The Gorilla nodded. "Thank God, my English is terrible. The police gave us your name and my assistant looked into you. It seems you have a great military record." The Gorilla just looked at him wondering where this conversation was going. "I have been looking for a bodyguard for my family." He stated. "With how you risked your life for us, I'd like to offer you that position. The Gorilla smiled widely. That was how he'd ended up working for the Agreste family. It's why he doubted he'd be fired anytime soon as long as nothing happened to Mr. Agreste, Adrien or even Nathalie, on his watch.

Since then he'd grown fond of the boy, especially after they lost his mother Emilie. The Gorilla had no intention of allowing any harm to come to Adrien, but also, he wanted to do what he could to allow the boy to have a happy childhood. It's why it had been so easy for the boy's friends to bribe him. Granted it also helped him restore his missing action figures, but that was just a bonus. When Adrien had asked him to drive himself and the girls from his class to take photos of the one girl's designs, he'd put up just enough resistance to not seem soft but he knew he was going to do it and he'd keep it a secret from Mr. Agreste. He would keep**_ all_** of Adrien's secrets secret from everyone. He'd even started to take meditation classes to help control his temper. He could never allow himself to become akumatized again. The danger to Adrien was far too great.

* * *

**ADRIEN**

* * *

Adrien set up the GPS mapping program on his phone to track the course they were taking. He knew Adrien Agreste couldn't do anything for Marinette if she needed it, but maybe Cat Noir could. It reminded him for a moment when Cat Noir had visited Marinette on her balcony a few weeks back. He smiled a little, then remembered her saying _It's too bad I didn't really fall in love with you, _and he saw in the reflection of the privacy window that he was blushing. Adrien shook his head a little. **_Is Kagami right? Do I really feel like I need to protect Marinette for some reason? She's clearly capable of protecting herself as long as she doesn't have a klutzy moment. _**Actually that thought made him chuckle as it reminded him about the times she'd tripped or fell even when there wasn't anything to cause that to happen. He felt a little guilty about it, but at the same time, it was amusing and a little cute.

"You don't need to go all the way up to the building." Adrien said as they got close. He didn't want the car to be caught on any cameras without Nathalie being there. The Gorilla just grunted a little and did a slow loop so Adrien could see everything. He felt surprised when he noticed that Marinette appeared to be on the balcony that wrapped nearly halfway around the building. At least he thought it was her. It looked like her usual hairstyle and she was wearing pink pants with a white shirt. All that was missing was her jacket. If it was her, and he was certain it was, she was all alone up there.

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

She'd had breakfast with Nadia earlier but that was it. Aiden had started to ignore her and she felt awful about it. She'd told Luka she didn't want to quit, but she continued to flip flop inside about it. When she stood at the balcony alone looking down at the road, all she really wanted to do was go back home. She wanted to crawl into her own bed cuddle with her giant stuffed Cat No, er Pillow. She shook her head a moment and noticed a car driving on one of the streets in her view. It looked like it was moving slowly. That made her a little suspicious of it, however it was just as likely someone who watched the show checking out the studio, maybe hoping to catch a glimpse of someone. She still considered for just a moment leaping down to the ground and running to the car and begging for a ride back into Paris.

**_What a sight that would be, assuming I didn't break my legs in the process,_** She thought as it turned down another street and out of her view. She let out a slightly bitter laugh before going back into her room and grabbing her sketchpad, pencils and purse. She then headed for her secret spot in the storeroom. As soon as she settled in there, Tikki and Kaalki flew from her purse and nuzzled her. Marinette held on to the two kwamis and cried.

* * *

**LUKA**

* * *

Somehow Max and Kim had learned about him going to the PTAS meeting and asked to go along with to the next one. Luka saw no problem with it since Alya seemed to be the one with the most anger against Chloe and the most adamant about not going to the meetings. He was a little worried about Alya finding out since she did scare him a little. With Kim and Max knowing it was a matter of time before she found out anyway, so what did he have to lose? Luka had to admit, the expression on Chloe's face when she saw Max and Kim behind him made the threat of Alya's wrath worth it.

"Good morning Luk. . . " Chloe's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "ka." She finished and recovered form her surprise. "Max and Kim, how nice to see you here." She added politely if not a little slowly.

"Hi Chloe." Kim said happily.

"Good Morning to you as well, Chloe." Max added. Luka pointed them towards the snack table.

"They wanted to check out the meeting." Luka said as Chloe watched the pair head over and grab some baked goods.

"I'm surprised. I wasn't expecting to see any more of my classmates here." She explained sounding a little cautious with her words. "Will they be joining us for our usual coffee run afterwards?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask them. Why? Do you want to be alone with me?" He joked.

"Yes." She replied quickly. Luka choked a moment. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"No, yes, maybe." He replied and cleared his throat. "I need to be gentle about this, but I'm not sure what's the best way. I just wanted you to know that I have someone else." Chloe looked at him questioningly.

"Ohhh, you think I want to be alone with you in a romantic way. I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to that idea if you wanted to be, but that's not why." Luka felt a little stupid for his jump to that conclusion. **_Wait, she wouldn't be opposed to it though?_**

"So why do you want to be alone with me then?" He asked.

"It's more like I don't want to be with them." She sighed. "I'm sure you're aware that I did not get along with some of my classmates last term." Luka nodded. **_Although from what I heard that would be pretty much all of them. _**"I know I was practically a goddess in school and everything, but I did have a certain attitude that many found to be. . ." It seemed like she couldn't find the right word.

"Bitchy?" He asked with a slight smirk. A moment of anger swept over her lovely features, but was replaced with something akin to sadness.

"I suppose that's how some saw me." Her voice was a little lower and she spoke slower. He definitely got the impression that she was torn about herself.

"If you're trying to be a," Luka wanted to say better person, but he felt that would be like kicking her when she was down. "um, bit different. Perhaps getting coffee with all of us would be a good way to start. Let them see the kind of person you're trying to become."

"I'll think about it." She sighed.

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

**_Why did that simpleton Kim and nerdy Max have to show up today?_** **_I was looking forward to spending time with Luka, _**Chloe complained in her head as she sat at the café she and Luka had been going to. **_Stop thinking like that_**, she chastised herself. She was supposed to be the kinder, gentler Chloe. The one who would be the darling of Paris. She was surprised though about her feelings having coffee with them. She actually enjoyed herself. She was still very glad she had never given into Kim's multiple attempts to get her to go on a date with him, but just sitting in a café with him, he was actually kind of fun to talk to. Max, well he was still a nerd, but when he wasn't nerding out, he wasn't too bad either. Or, maybe it was just better because she could gaze at Luka's handsome features and maybe that's what made their little get together so bearable.

Once they were done, Chloe went home to her luxury suite room in her daddy's hotel. She'd tried to give them all ample opportunity and openings to comment about being miraculous users, but none of them had. She was certain Ladybug would tell them she knew their identities, or at least she had been sure. Truthfully, she was starting to question that line of thought. She went to her personal safe a retrieved her "Moth Phone" and sent a text.

**-Two others showed up at Meeting. None admitted who they were.- **

A few minutes later she received a reply.

**-Keep trying to get info on the connections to Ladybug.- **

Chloe replied with a thumbs-up emoji and scrolled back on her messages. The previous message she received had simply said

**-Do NOT contact the studio- **

She still didn't understand what the message meant, but she knew she'd figure it out eventually. After that, she locked that phone away.

* * *

**ROSE**

* * *

She'd been surprised when Juleka had kissed her back. She'd been so afraid to let her know how she'd felt. Rose had always been boy crazy. Before she knew what a harem was, she'd wanted a harem of boys. Her mother had even commented before that she was rushing things, that she could worry about having her own little "boy collection" when she was older. Little as in size, not age of course. She'd even had a number of boyfriends over the years. Rose had felt a little bad because of the three-month period when she actually dated three different boys at the same time. Of course Juleka knew all about it. Juleka had been her best friend for years now. Rose hadn't even realized how she'd started to feel about Juleka until the Zombizou incident, when she'd learned she'd kissed her best friend's lips to spread the contagion. How did she realize that, one might ask. It was simple. Rose felt cheated out of that memory since she did not remember anything from the time she'd gone full molestation zombie. She couldn't help but obsess over what Juleka's lips must have felt like, how they must have tasted. Were her lips moist or were they dry? It was then she realized, **_OH MY GOD, I'M IN LOVE WITH JULEKA!_**

Things she did with Juleka suddenly took a weird turn for her. Simply holding her hand in a moment, which wasn't a rare thing to be sure, suddenly caused her heart to beat faster. She'd even started to add blush to her cheeks just to help conceal her own actual blushing. She'd steal little glances at Juleka then look away quickly when Juleka was about to catch her. Rose had become so uncomfortable around her best friend, but she did her best to hide it. When she'd kissed Juleka on the cheek after her panic attack about modeling, Rose had really wanted to kiss her lips. She knew Juleka was hurting, but at the time she thought, **_if Juleka wants to be alone to get through this, I'll let her. _**After Jukela had been akumatized again, Rose regretted not staying behind with her. There had been some other times she'd considered telling Juleka how she'd felt, but she never did it. When the group had gone to get ice cream from Andre, after Marinette had "officially" given up on Adrien, she'd wanted to share a couple's ice cream with Juleka, but she didn't have the courage to say anything then either.

Rose had been afraid of being rejected, no that wasn't right, she was terrified of it. If she told Juleka she had fallen in love with her, and Juleka didn't feel the same way, she knew it would affect their friendship. She'd seen it happen before. Two long term friends, one confesses to the other, the other doesn't feel the same way and has no interest in pursuing a relationship. Then they grow apart and their friendship fades away or worse yet, just ends right there. No, she couldn't take that chance, not with Juleka. She kept it to herself until she had almost died.

She didn't want to say that akumas were a joke, but when she'd started to think about it, there were no serious injuries, nothing that happened was permanent, and no one died. Ladybug and Cat Noir saved the day and Ladybug always fixed things afterwards. To a certain extent, it brought a sort of complacently with it. When the Akuma alert would go off in Paris, a lot of people didn't even bother heading to the shelters anymore. Even when Kagami had to be taken to the hospital after her injury, Rose didn't think much of it. Sure it was a little scary to find out that her injury hadn't been fully healed, but that was like once out of a hundred times. Then the two genies had reached out for her as they were forming, and if Ali hadn't gotten to her first she had not doubt she would have been killed.

The first thing Nyla did was squeeze. Ali hadn't been quick enough to counter it right away and Rose had felt her ribs being crushed. She even thought some of her ribs had been broken, but if they had the ladybugs had fixed them. A second squeeze caused her to pass out. Then she didn't know what happened until she came to on the deck chair. After everything dealing with the akuma was taken care of, Rose had sat with Juleka. She loved Ali, but she wasn't willing to risk her life for him again, and she certainly didn't want to be a sister wife to that psycho Nyla. She babbled a lot then, about everything, well almost everything. She still couldn't tell Juleka how she felt. She couldn't get the words to come out, instead she kissed her expecting to be pushed away or brushed off, instead, she was pulled in closer, captured, and unable to escape with Juleka passionately kissing her back.

Rose was an experienced kisser. Juleka was not. Where Rose had a certain seductive grace to her kissing, Juleka had an almost panic like need that was sloppy, really, really sloppy. Yet, Rose loved it. She finally got to kiss Juleka. No, better yet, Juleka finally kissed her. She didn't care that by the time it was done there was drool dripping off her chin and that her lipstick was a combined smear of her bubblegum pink colored lipstick and Juleka's lavender one, even if it was all over their cheeks too. It was the best kiss of her life. That they could took one look at each other afterwards and laugh at the mess that had been created made it all the better. It was so weird thinking about Juleka as her girlfriend, GIRLFRIEND! Rose felt her cheeks heat up as she placed her hands on her face, slightly covering her eyes just enough to run into someone.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry." Rose cried out as she dropped her hands.

"That is fine. I am not injured or even annoyed." Replied Kagami as she looked at her. "You are Rose, one of Adrien's classmates?" She asked. Rose felt little nervous butterflies in her stomach. She'd never been alone with Kagami before, in fact had only really seen her a few times and couldn't recall ever talking to her. That made her nervous even before she considered that Kagami had won Adrien from Marinette. **_Okay that wasn't fair, Marinette didn't have Adrien. Maybe if she'd just told him how she felt, she might have. _** "I am sorry, I believe I may have interrupted you." Kagami moved to walk around her.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I was just lost in thought." She replied. "I didn't mean to ignore you."

"I see. I am glad. Do you have a little time? Perhaps we could. . ." She paused there as if she was unsure what to say.

"Would you like to go to the park and talk?" Rose suggested.

"Yes, that would be perfect, thank you." Kagami replied with a slight bow or nod maybe. It was a little hard for Rose to tell as she was having a slight panic attack being alone with the young woman. Kagami was very intimidating and honestly, Rose wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not. Even though physically she had practically a "copy, paste" of Marinette's frame, she still came off an imposing figure. She would have liked for Kagmai to smile, maybe trip as they walked, anything to make her a little less stoic. In fact there was one moment where Kagami looked over at her and, maybe it was a smile, but she looked more like she was about to eat Rose's heart out of her chest. Rose almost passed out right then and there.

"You seem nervous." Kagami commented as they reached the entrance to the park.

"No, um, I'm fine, really, nothing to be nervous about, right?"

"That is correct." They pair walked over to the fountain and sat along the edge of it. Rose felt like she wanted to run away. **_Why did Kagami decide to talk to me? Why alone? Why did I suggest this? _**Those thoughts ran through her head as she looked away afraid that they would show on her face. She noticed some ripples in the water and turned back to Kagami and saw her slowly running her finger through the water. She had such a serene expression that she'd suddenly lost all of her imposing vibe. Rose couldn't help but smile a little.

"So how are you and Adrien doing?" She asked. Kagami's shoulder stiffened.

"We are fine." She replied sounds anything but.

"Are you sure?" Rose pressed just slightly. Kagami sighed a little.

"It is a new relationship, there are bound to be some, I would say hiccups." She replied to Rose's inquiry.

"What kind of hiccups?"

"It is just there is something I want to do with him, or for him to do to me that keeps somehow not happening." Rose looked confused. "Do not worry, it is something I will deal with in my own way. Rather I would like to get to know you better as one of Adrien's friends and classmates."

"Oh, that's what you wanted?"

"Yes." Kagami replied and again that expression of wanting to murder and eat Rose's organs appeared on her face. Rose flinched before realizing that Kagami was trying to smile.

"You don't have to try so hard to look friendly." Rose stated.

"I am making a weird face again." Rose nodded. "I apologize. I have been told I can look terrifying when I do that."

"It's okay. I'll just have to get use to it." Rose remarked and saw a glimmer of a real smile cross Kagami's face. **_If she could do that more easily, she'd have a really beautiful smile, _**Rose thought.

* * *

**ALYA**

* * *

She'd seen Luka, Max and Kim leaving a cafe with Chloe a couple days prior and wasn't happy about it. She wanted to go after them right then, but she received a text from her mother reminding Alya she needed to come home to babysit the twins. **_Damn it, why did Lila have to go visit her family in Italy for break? She could have been babysitting while I investigated this._**

Her group of former Miraculous Users had another meeting, but Luka, Max and Kim were silent about meeting with Chloe and Alya wanted to know why they were with her. Chloe was the enemy. She was the reason none of them could be super heroes anymore. Like any good investigative reporter, of which there were very few who even bothered anymore, Alya decided she too would go to Chloe's group since that seemed the most likely reason they'd been with the blonde. If nothing else, she could just stare daggers at Chloe the whole time. She didn't tell Nino about it either. She would have liked his back-up but she knew he wasn't as angry at Chloe as she was. He was just as likely to visit the group as the others were in case it helped. She didn't want to follow them though; she wanted to get there early to see who all went in.

Alya snuck into the room where Chloe's meetings were and found a place to hide out of sight of everyone. She was surprised how easy it was to get past Chloe. What surprised her even more was seeing how many of her classmates were there. The only ones who had been Akumatized that were missing were her, Nino and Mylene. It was weird to see Ivan there without Mylene, but since she was often a target of Chloe, her not being there was understandable. She watched as Chloe greeted everyone who came in. The last time she'd seen Chloe attempt to be that pleasant was when she'd put together the party for the class just before Despair Bear showed up. Alya finally came out from her hiding spot.

"Alya?" Max quested sounding a little scared. Luka's eyes went wide in surprise and Kim, well, he just took it in stride.

"Oh, Alya, I'm glad to see you." Chloe announced with a smile. "Although I didn't see you come in. I apologize if I missed you." Alya knew she wasn't giving a pleased expression, because of the tension she felt in her face, but Chloe seemed to ignore that. She took a seat and watched.

* * *

**CHLOE 2**

* * *

It was nerve-racking to say the least, having Alya there staring at her, not talking. She didn't even have to look at Alya to know that her classmate was burning holes though her soul with her eyes. More then one time Chloe lost track of what she was saying. She'd never expected to be so thrown off by one person. She almost wished she hadn't put the rule in place that those who came didn't have to participate just to get Alya to either leave or have to talk, but no, Alya just continued to stare at her. Chloe involuntarily shivered when she caught the hatred in Alya's eyes. **_Ladybug obviously told her about me_**, she realized. It took all of her effort to keep her voice light and even. It wouldn't do for her to show any of her own darker emotions during the meeting. **_I'm surprised Hawk Moth hasn't tried to akumatize her with that anger she's holding._**

When the meeting finally ended, Chloe noted that Alya had gathered up the other miraculous users to speak with. She wanted to know what they were talking about, but didn't want to get to close to them. Still, if they were all together like that, then it meant they likely knew whom each other was. DJ Nerd and Stuck-up Princess were nowhere to be found though. Since their miraculouses had been missing when they'd answered her call as Miracle Queen, she was betting this group knew nothing of them. She wasn't sure if that worked to her advantage or not. She wasn't even sure she had an advantage. In fact she was very outnumbered. **_What if that wannabe reporter turns the others against me? Does that mean we won't be able to have our chats at the café anymore? Wait, why is that the first thing I'm concerned about?_** Chloe shook those thoughts from her head. She saw Alya stomp away from the others.

"Is something wrong?" Chloe asked a little hesitantly.

"No, of course not." Luka replied before Max or Kim could say anything. Those two just looked at him confused.

"Should we cancel our café visit?" Chloe asked. The three boys looked towards one another as if trying to decide what to do without actually speaking. "It's fine, I won't be upset if you can't make it this time." Chloe had meant to sound a little upset, but she hadn't been expecting to actually feel upset.

"That would probably be for the best." Max stated

"Well you know Ondine was saying we haven't been spending enough time together, so yeah, I should cancel today too." Kim added. Luka looked at them both.

"I'll still go." He replied much to the obvious surprise of the other two.

"Oh, are you guys heading to a café? Would it be cool if I went with?" Alix asked practically materializing out of nowhere.

"If it's okay, I'd like to go too." Sabrina added as she came up to them. Chloe glanced at her surprised. Sabrina had been to every meeting, but hadn't actually been spending much time with her outside of that. Did Sabrina not like her anymore?

"That sounds very nice." Chloe replied and smiled. She noticed that Max and Kim looked a little sheepish. **_I wonder if they feel like they've been put on the spot now with others deciding to go_**. "Are you sure the two of you can't make it?" Chloe asked giving them a chance to change their minds.

"Well, let me call Ondine and see if she wants to come too since everyone else is." Kim asked and stepped away as he pulled out his phone.

"Logically speaking, it would be illogical to skip out on so many classmates." Max replied.

"Ondine says she'll meet us there." Kim chimed in. The group stopped by the Café and managed to get a table large enough for all of them. They had some snacks and drinks and talked about random things. Chloe was disappointed that she couldn't fish for more information on the miraculouses from them but overall she enjoyed herself. It reminded her a little of the enjoyment she'd gotten when the school had the little party for Queen Bee.

After it was over and she made her way home however, she pulled out her moth phone and sent a message.

**-I'm certain RR knows everything-**

**-Did she cause trouble?-**

**-Almost Nothing I couldn't handle-**

**-Good. Keep working on them.-**

**-I will-**

Chloe closed the phone.

* * *

**MARINETTE 2**

* * *

She'd found herself sitting across from Nadia as she ate breakfast. Aiden had gone to fully ignoring Marinate as the other's had. Nadia though, she still talked to Marinette. She actually talked with everyone still. They apparently weren't taking their dislike of her out on the girl and Marinette was happy about that for Nadia's sake, but it made her feel more isolated.

"So, when I win this contest, you won't have a problem with me getting Luka to date me right?" Nadia asked. Marinette nearly choked on the forkful of food in her mouth. "I'll be living in Paris and you did say you didn't want to hurt him, so you'll be willing to just step aside for me right?" Marinette wasn't sure how to answer and just watched Nadia seductively lick her lips.

"It's not really up to me if Luka decides to date you. It's not like I own him." She replied annoyed. Maybe she would have been better off if Nadia did avoid her.

"Just because you don't own him doesn't mean he's not like a puppy on your leash." Nadia remarked and took a drink of her juice. Marinette didn't know how to respond. She was actually rather angry about the comment, but if she let that anger out would she loose Nadia as a friend. She was terrified of being totally alone here. Sure she had Tikki and Kaalki, but she only got to see and speak to them really when they were alone in the storeroom. She loved the kwamies but their companionship wasn't the same as human companionship.

"It'll still be up to Luka to decide though, won't it?" Marinette said more then asked and smiled sweetly.

"Of course, he'll have to decide between fun loving me, who's not only willing to commit but also show that, or stick in the mud Marinette who can't let go of her broken heart. Yeah, I wonder which one he'll choose." Nadia even winked at Marinette when she mentioned her willingness to show, which confused Marinette a bit. The conversation was making Marinette angrier and angrier. She considered the theory that Hawk Moth wasn't in range of their group and just letting her anger go, but she didn't do it. If she did now, she might do it in the future where Hawk Moth could get her. Instead she took a series of deep breaths and counted in her head. "Seriously, what are you doing?" Nadia asked.

"I live in Paris remember, we have a super villain known for taking control of people with strong negative emotions. I'm calming myself down."

"So what you're saying is that I'm getting to you." Nadia grinned like a wolf that just pushed a sheepdog off a cliff and had free access to the entire flock. "Good, I'm glad. You're actually cute when you try to not get mad." Nadia got up and gave Marinette a kiss on her forehead before slinking over to the television to watch some old cartoon show, leaving Marinette more then a little confused at what had just happened. Rather then dwell on it, however, she headed towards her room.

"Quick, quick, Nathalie and Alec are fighting!" Someone yelled. The entire group turned to look at the door but whoever had yelled it had run off already, apparently to get more people's attention. Marinette didn't like the idea of the two of them fighting, like really fighting, though she'd noticed a little tension between them the last couple times they'd been together, which was bad since Alec had obviously been flirting with Nathalie at the beginning. They heard the sound of metal on metal, as they got closer to the stage area.

"Are they throwing shit at each other?" Aiden asked. Everett opened the door and they all piled in. Marinette wanted to rush up and put a stop to the fight but froze instead. Yes, it was true, they were fighting each other, with swords, while wearing fantasy costumes. Nathalie was wearing a long purple tunic that went to around mid thigh, with black leather like leggings and brown knee high boots. She had on a charcoal colored cloak with the hood pulled up over her head. When the hood slipped off, it exposed a set of pointy ears. Her make-up was done mostly dark with glitter to contrast it. She looked to be using a short sword to attack Alec.

Alec for his part was wearing dark green robes. In one hand he had a staff with a glass ball held by what looked like talons at the top, in the other was a short sword. He wore a hat with a slight point to it, matching the green of his robes. Alec used the staff to block the occasional sword swing from Nathalie while using his sword to attack. Neither seemed to be making any progress when Nathalie slipped in and knocked Alec's sword away before stabbing at him. At the same time a flame erupted from Alec's now empty hand engulfing Nathalie. Both fell to the ground. Everyone just stood there dumbfounded, totally unsure what had just happened. Nathalie and Alec continued to lie there.

"Why isn't there any smoke?" Marinette asked finally. Something hadn't seemed right about what had happened at the time, so she hadn't reacted, at least that's what she was telling herself. She looked towards Alec's hand and noticed something really shiny there. She moved forward to get a closer look. The other's followed. It hadn't been flames that had come out his hand, it looked like a bunch of metallic streamers, a lot of metallic streamers and Nathalie's body was covered by them. Suddenly they both sat up, and Nadia screamed.

"So for your next theme, you'll be putting together the costumes for a movie. The theme is sci-fi fantasy." Alec stated as he used his staff to get up. A moment later, he held his hand to Nathalie who took it to pull herself up.

"We'll be supplying you with props you can use. We're not expecting you to make those, but you will be pulling from a box for the type of creature you're designing for." Alec explained as Nathalie picked up a box and held it in front of her.

"Just remember every race will have it's own difficulty in designing for it. As a special bonus, we've hired a special effects team to build prosthetics for your models. Since Marinette was the first one to actually come see what had happened to us when we fell, she'll pick first." Nathalie held the box up for her. Marinette slipped her hand in and pulled out a folded card. She opened it and saw the image of a green skinned, humanoid creature with tusks. ORC was written under it. Next up was Nadia. She pulled out an image of a beautiful humanoid woman with a fish tail. MERMAID was written under it.

"Wait, half her body is a fish. How am I supposed to design an entire outfit for half a body?" She complained.

"That's up to you to figure out." Nathalie replied sweetly. Nadia stormed off and Everett came up to pick his card. It showed a humanoid female with delicate wings with FAIRY written under it. Next was Aiden. Her card showed a bearded individual with a thick, short body. DWARF was written under it. Last but not least, it was Bobby's turn. His card had a grayish looking humanoid with skin that appeared to be made of broken rocks. TROLL was listed under it.

"The day after the last judging, your models all met with the special effects team and had life and body casts made so that the team could build up the prosthetics. We're giving you all an extra day to work on your designs and to give them time to finish the work. Tomorrow morning, you will meet with the team that is working with your models to go over the body of your creature." Alec explained.

"We don't want you to design something only to find that it doesn't fit over a prosthetic parts." Nathalie added. "So please start thinking of your designs and discuss them with your team. You are all dismissed."

Marinette frowned. She was familiar with sci-fi fantasy movies and books, but not to a huge extent. She liked playing fighting games and more of the mech type games at that. She'd watched the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies, though they really felt like they went one forever, but Alya had wanted to do a Marathon, which was why they'd felt like they went on forever. Marinette had been so happy to learn that Alya had not wanted to watch the extended cuts of any of them, but those moves were pretty much her knowledge of Orcs. **_Wait, Alec had said Sci-Fi fantasy right? Is that another trick? I wonder if anyone else is thinking about the Sci-Fi part of it? Could I maybe do a futuristic version, maybe a mech pilot? _**She suddenly got very excited.

* * *

**NATHALIE**

* * *

She had to admit, she enjoyed the look of horror that had come across Nadia's features when she picked out MERMAID. As much as Nathalie wanted to be able to use the knowledge of what Nadia did to Luka to upset Marinette in the future, she also felt like Nadia deserved a little instant karma for it. She was going after her "friend's" love interest. Of course Marinette wasn't exactly innocent in the whole affair either with her inability to actually commit one-way or the other with the boy. The again, perhaps Luka should also just move on. It was actually hard for her to emphasize with him since even though she was in love with Gabriel, he didn't even pretend she had a chance with him, not as long as Emilie could return. She had a momentary spike in her own anger at Ladybug for losing the Bee Miraculous while fighting Style Queen. Had she not done that, allowing Chloe Bourgeois to find it, Gabriel would have given up on bringing his wife back and then she might have finally had her chance.

Her thoughts about Emilie made her feel a little guilty. Emilie had been her friend, even before she worked for Gabriel Brand. In fact, Emilie had helped her get the job, had even suggested having a room at the mansion set up for her for the occasional long nights so Nathalie didn't have to travel to her apartment while exhausted. Emilie and her even turned some of those kinds of nights into "slumber parties". She wanted to see Emilie back almost as much as Gabriel, but there was still that lingering hope that Emilie would never came back at all. That Gabriel would be hers. She needed to shake off such thoughts.

"This should be an interesting challenge for them." Alec commented after the contestants left.

"Yes, it should." Nathalie replied. She felt a little awkward standing there. She'd been so use to wearing heels lately she actually felt a little uncomfortable in the flat boots. That was a surprise to her. She grinned. "Would you like to go another round with the swords? No choreography this time."

"Sounds fun." He remarked and held up his sword. Nathalie grabbed hers and stood up. They both looked at each other a moment, then went in for the attack simultaneously.

* * *

**MARINETTE 3**

* * *

Each of the contestants went to meet with their assigned special effects team in separate areas and Marinette met with hers, a team consisting of one woman, the lead, and two men. Sophie introduced herself and her team to Marinette and started to show off the designs they had for the prosthetics.

"So we're looking at making the upper torso larger on both of the models, and we've got some additional muscular pieces for the legs and thighs, as well as the feet, depending on how much you want to show off." She explained and showed a fairly detailed sketch. "Based on the sizes we have for the models and our anticipated additions to their frames, these are the sizes that we expect them to be." She handed Marinette a sheet of paper with the sketches and measurements. "I would recommend making the garments adjustable just to be safe though. We're working on a time crunch, so if things go wrong, we probably won't be able to you know, fix it."

"I understand." Marinette replied looking at the sheet.

"We'll also be supplying you with props as well, just tell us what you need, and we'll throw something together." Marinette liked that, it would be nice not to jury rig props for a change.

"This is what I was thinking." She laid out her sketchbook. The special effects crew looked at it then at her.

"Are you serious?" Sophie questioned going over the design.

"I am." Marinette replied.

"This really doesn't cry out fantasy, if you know what I mean." One of team stated.

"I know, but Alec did specify **_SCI-FI_** fantasy. They've been sneaky before. They didn't get us a script to work off of, so it's not likely a real movie."

"Good Point." Sophie agreed. "This could be fun." They spent a few hours discussing changes to the Orc designs and the costuming before their meeting together ended. When it came time to start working on the fashions, the first thing Marinette did was wrap cloth around her dress dummies to simulate the new sizes based on the sketches Sophie had given her. She wasn't the only one modifying the dummies either, almost everyone was adding to them. Everett was the only one who had little to do in the way of modifications, only taping some cardboard to the back to represent where the wings would be attached. The camera crew filmed much of the modification processes before Nathalie, Alec and Gabriel's tablet came through to go over the initial designs.

"Very creative." Gabriel mentioned when he saw the design for Nadia's mermaid. "I believe you have one of the most difficult ones to design for. I look forward to seeing your final product." He complimented Everett for not going with the standard fairy fashions, and so on with everyone they spoke with, although Bobby didn't want to show off his designs just yet. When they got to Marinette they paused.

"So that's different." Alec commented before he could stop himself. Marinette nodded not noticing the surprised expressions on him and Nathalie.

"When Alec specified Sci-Fi Fantasy, I thought the Sci-Fi part would be good to play with." She admitted.

"That's right, he did say that didn't he." Nathalie remarked annoyed. Alec looked a little sheepish.

"I must say, I like what you've come up with for your Sci-Fi," Gabriel said _Sci-Fi_ like it was a foreign word to him, "version. I am very interested to see how your final product turns out."

"That you Mr. Agreste." She replied with a huge smile before getting back to work.

**NATHALIE 2**

"You had one job." Nathalie complained at Alec backstage. "Let them know what the theme was, and you had to adlib it."

"What, I'm use to combining the two together. It never occurred to me that anyone would go that direction." He defended.

"It's fine. She's been creative with it. If we were going to put these fashions in a movie, then it would be a problem." Gabriel stated from his tablet image. "We'll just have to let the other judges know beforehand that Alec expanded the theme."

"We could have told her it was wrong." Alec suggested sounded irritated at being called out twice..

"Yes, and then she'd fall behind the others because she followed **_your_** words. We've already handicapped her with the judges she's known. It certainly wouldn't be right to handicap her because you misspoke." Gabriel stated, his irritation clearly evident.

"And we can't give her any additional time to make up for it since that would just further alienate her from the other contestants." Nathalie added, not that it really mattered to her, but she liked to come off as being fair minded.

"That is an excellent point Nathalie." Gabriel stated, his praise making her cheeks heat up.

"Thank you, Sir." She replied. His praise always warmed her up. She wished he would do it more, but then again, if he did, it wouldn't be so special to her.

Over the next few days the contestants worked, Nathalie and Alec would do their interview thing, occasionally bringing Gabriel back online to comment on the progress.

"You know, looking at Marinette's work, it makes be wish we were doing a science fiction movie. It's pretty cool." Alec stated.

"It is. I wouldn't mind modeling that outfit, in my size of course." Nathalie commented with a little smile. "These will be interesting to remake as consumer products though."

"I never thought about that. These would be great costumes, but not very practical for anyone to actually wear." Alec agreed.

"Not just that, but resizing them for human proportions. Aside from Nadia and Everett, everyone else's fashions are not designed for human bodies. I think anyone who purchases these fashions will be doing it to support the designers, more then for the fashion." Alec nodded in agreement.

* * *

**MARINETTE 4**

* * *

"This is a little awkward." Luka commented under his prosthetics." His head, face, arms and legs had been practically fully covered by the special effects team and that meant that Marinette had to dress him herself. Shed have to do the same with Juleka. Marinette started on Luka mostly because it had been rather uncomfortable seeing him practically naked without actually being practically naked, which was surprisingly different then the swimsuit, sort of like how she could wear a swimsuit that showed more then her underwear and yet being seen in her underwear was uncomfortable. Even though Luka and Juleka could move pretty well, their new body shapes had hindered the act of getting dressed.

"It may be awkward, but I've never seen you look better." Juleka joked softly. Luka growled at her, which caused Marinette to laugh. She continued to dress him. Juleka watched the process before speaking again. "Um, I know I'm not a fashion designer, but these items look like they are futuristic not fantasy."

"They are. I wanted to go for the science fiction aspect of what Alec had mentioned." She explained trying to not let her tone show how annoyed she was at having to explain once again.

"I see." Juleka replied not sounding too convinced.

"They look pretty cool. If nothing else, I say we use them for our next gig." Luka added. Marinette couldn't help but smile. She finished dressing Luka and moved on to Juleka.

"As long as we don't use the prosthetics. This feels a little itchy." Juleka complained as she tried to gently scratch at her nose. Once she finished Marinette looked them both over.

"Well, your fashions look good, but your faces…blaeech." She laughed. Both Luka and Juleka frowned at her. She grabbed the last couple of items to go with her outfit just as the time came to roll the displays out. Marinette watched as the others were unveiled.

Nadia had used fabrics that resembled jellyfish skins and sea vegetation along with shells to make her female model appear to be a warrior, with her tail and torso covered in the shells, and her arms in the jellyfish skin like fabric. Her male model was done up to look like a fantasy prince with a crown made from giant shark teeth with a matching shark tooth scepter.

Everett went against the standard light clothing that most fantasy stories used for fairies and instead armored his up to create a pair or winged warriors, going so far as to have added blades to the top of their wings. Aiden's dwarves appeared to be more regal then one normally saw dwarves portrayed in fantasy stories. Both were bearded with the female model have more delicate braids in the beard then the more gruff braiding for the male's beard. Bobby on the other hand made what Marinette considered an ungodly attempt at making his trolls look sexy. It may have been a little unfair of her to think that, but it did not come off very well. She didn't even think the fashions he created would look good on anyone and the looks on the judge's faces made it seem as if they agreed. Before the judges got to her, Marinette turned on the lighting that had been incorporated into the designs she'd made.

She'd gone with a futuristic looking warrior appearance for both models, using semitransparent colored plastics for their armor, with led light piping along the edges and seams of the plates. The black fabric used under the armor plates, which covered their torsos, forearms, thighs and calves, looked like they had silvery circuitry in them. Juleka held a large double sided axe, with a transparent blade with lighting along the edges, while Luka was holding a large futuristic looking crossbow, the bolt on it made up of the same lighting, to look almost energy like. Luka also wore a helmet that was made of the same plastic as his armor. Juleka on the other hand had a wig that was made of fiber optic wires that lite up in various colors.

"Very Impressive Marinette." Gabriel stated.

"Thank you Mr. Agreste. I owe a lot to Sophie and her team for helping me come up with how to work the lighting into the fashions." Marinette admitted. She herself was wearing leggings with the same circuitry look as the fabric used on Luka and Juleka, with a silvery tunic belted at her hips, and a semitransparent red cloak with the same lighting at it's edges and seams. She held a small pouch in her hand instead of a weapon, and looked like she'd pickpocketed it from Juleka before the judges came over. After a few more questions, they went back to their area where Alec would announce the guest judge, but before he could say anything, a voice sounded in the studio.

"Stay Peachy!" The voice said as Mr. Banana ran out on stage waving his hands and smiling, not that Mr. Banana could move his mouth to make any other expression. He stopped in front of Nathalie and Alec.

"How are you Mr. Banana?" Nathalie asked.

"Stay Peachy!" Mr. Banana replied. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief seeing Mr. Banana. Finally someone she did not know was a judge. She could almost cry with happiness. Then it happened, two memories coming to the forefront of her mind. The first, her getting Cat Noir's ring while she was Multimouse and he was wearing the Mr. Banana Costume. Even as she thought about that, Mr. Banana started to turn towards the contestants to look them over. The second and most troubling image came into her head, Cat Noir in the Mr. Banana costume riding a scooter next to her as they tried to catch up to Master Fu while battling against Feast. **_Oh God, is Cat Noir really Mr. Banana?_** She felt sweat trickle down her back.

"So, um do you see anyone you know?" Alec asked cautiously. Marinette felt sick to her stomach when Mr. Banana looked at her.

"Stay Peachy?" Mr. Banana asked. He continued to look around, passing Marinette.

"So you aren't familiar with any of our contestants?" Nathalie asked.

"Stay Peachy." Mr. Banana said with a shake to his head. Alec visible relaxed, as did Marinette, but it was too late, she heard Aiden behind her speak up,

"Wow, Marinette looks extra nervous. Guess not knowing the judge is freaking her out." Worse yet, it sounded like the others all agreed with her comment, even Nadia seemed to. All Marinette wanted to do then was go home, snuggle with her parents and cry herself to sleep.

* * *

**NATHALIE 3**

* * *

As near as Nathalie was able to find out, Marinette did not know Mr. Banana. It was the main reason Nathalie selected him, which was why Marinette's reaction to him had been so strange. At first Marinette looked relieved and Nathalie had expected that, but then when Mr. Banana started looking around, Marinette looked extremely nervous. She couldn't figure out the real identity of Mr. Banana even with all of her skills but it made her wonder if Marinette actually did know him. However it turned out, Marinette's reaction had fueled the reactions of the other contestants in a way she hadn't expected. Taking Marinette's nervousness being related to her not knowing Mr. Banana, well it was very delicious. She could see the light in Marinette's eyes die as they commented about it. **_It's too bad Gabriel's not prepared to akumatize her right now, he could do it so easily_**, She thought. She barely managed to keep herself from smiling.

Nathalie continued to watch as Mr. Banana went around to the different designers and looked at their designs. The only words spoke were "Stay Peachy" although different tones and inflections in the words did seem to give the designers an idea of what he was asking. Nathalie took special interest in his interactions with Marinette. As near as she could tell, he didn't act at all like he knew her. Marinette seemed nervous at first but as she spoke to him, that nervousness went away. **_Maybe Marinette was just afraid he would be someone she knew?_** Finally it was time for the all the judges to put in their votes.

"Now for our top two designers, in a stunning turn," Gabriel stated, his deadpan tone of voice did not convey the stunning turn his words suggested, "Nadia Lighthouse and Everett Frej." Everyone looked surprised; Marinette was not in the top two. Even Nathalie was stunned. "Miss Lighthouse, you had arguably the hardest creature to design for, having only half a humanoid body, but you not only did so, you managed to design for the fish half of the body. Mr. Frej, I really liked how you went against the standard look given to fairies and did a wonderful job with it." He paused for a bit as he appeared to be looking at the next set of results, even rubbing his eye like he didn't believe what he was seeing. "For our bottom two this week, we have Bobby Skye and Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

That caused an uproar, and by uproar, a lot of cheering. Nathalie honestly couldn't believe what she'd heard. That wasn't part of the plan. Marinette was supposed to be in the top two every week, now somehow she ended up in the bottom two?

"Marinette, You futuristic take on the fantasy theme was very creative, however it wasn't enough this time to get you the points you needed to keep your usual top spot." Gabriel said. Mr. Skye, your attempt at adding sex appeal to your trolls was just abhorrent. It could have been an interesting take, but you do not have the skill to pull it off. I have never been so glad in this competition to say that you are finished. If your models were not currently wearing those fashions, I would have them burned on the spot."

"How dare you!" Bobby shouted and even grabbed one of the prop swords from a nearby model and threw it at the screen. He didn't even come close to hitting it, but it was enough to get crew members to restrain him. Not even waiting for that drama to finish, Gabriel's image turned back towards the winners.

"As for the both of you, I must say that Miss Lighthouse's design was the most inspired. She took a difficult task head on and came up with an amazing design. Not only that, but I believe she even took into consideration the production of consumer versions that will be for sale online." Nadia practically beamed at his words. Nathalie smiled and congratulated the top two. She easily heard what Aiden said next, since Aiden wasn't being quiet about it.

"Wow, look how well Marinette does when she doesn't have an in with the judges." Not only did the words sound hurtful, but the tone of voice felt like it was twisting the metaphorical blade the words were meant to be. Nathalie looked towards Marinette, who had tears streaking down her cheeks presumably from Aiden's words since she didn't look too terribly upset about being in the bottom two.

"That was too harsh Aiden!" Nadia yelled. Everett just made a little spitting noise as a way to disagree with Nadia's assessment. Marinette just ran out of the stage area.

"What a sore loser." Aiden added as Marinette rushed past her.

* * *

**CAT NOIR**

* * *

Earlier in the day, Kagami had sadly informed Adrien that she would not be able to watch his father's show with him because her mother was making her attend a special event.

"I could go with you if you want the company." He suggested and Kagami had brightened up briefly before frowning again.

"It is for women only." She sighed and then grinned rather deviously. "However, I could lend you some of my clothes to sneak you in. You did look very good in that rock and roll outfit."

"Um, I think that's going to be a hard pass for me." He replied. She looked mildly upset about it, but she obviously didn't think he'd take her up on the offer in the first place with the grin she'd had. "Besides one of us should support Marinette's designs right? I can order for you in your size." He suggested. For some reason she looked a little irritated.

"No, I'll order for myself when I get home." She countered. That was where they'd left it, with Adrien being a really confused from their conversation. He was a little sad to watch the show on his own since watching with Kagami had been really fun. He did it though and when he saw the third judge was Aurore Beaureal he felt a little heartache for Marinette. He could see how the other contestants were reacting to it, and even how the jerk that took second place snubbed her. With Kagami not there he realized that he could go see how Marinette was doing, as Cat Noir of course.

"Plagg, claws out!" He called and transformed before taking off in the direction the Gorilla had taken him earlier that week. As Cat Noir, he was able to move quickly and made it to the warehouse in about thirty minutes. When he got there, he saw the lone figure on the side balcony, where he'd seen the lone figure he thought was Marinette earlier that week. As he got closer, he made out the form was in fact Marinette. With out thinking about it, he used his staff to launch himself towards her, landing on the balcony just off to the side causing her to jump back.

"Hi Marinette." He stated with a smile that faltered when he saw her face covered in tears.

"Cat Noir!" She cried out and rushed him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face to his chest. He felt her body shudder as she sobbed against him. He wrapped one arm around her and the other one he used to gently stroke the back of her head. He didn't bother to speak, he just held onto her. He had not idea how long she cried there, but it was enough to feel the dampness through his suit, that was certain. Finally she stopped and pulled a little away form him although she didn't let go. "Thank you, Cat Noir." She whispered her voice hoarse from crying. She suddenly went up on her toes and kissed him, really kissed him. The moment stunned him and he pulled away from her.

"Marinette?" He questioned. She looked as surprised as he felt.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." She spoke in her usual panicked way that he found both endearing and annoying.

"It's okay." He smiled at her. "I'm guessing you've been under a lot of stress." She nodded and then once more had a somewhat panicked look again.

"Please tell me you're not really Mr. Banana." She practically begged.

"What? Why would I be. . . Ohhh, yeah, you saw me wearing that costume when you were Multimouse, but why would it matter if I was or wasn't?" He asked. She looked like she was on the verge of tears again. "But alas, I am not Mr. Banana, I just borrowed the costume." He thought about it and laughed. "A couple of times actually. You should have seen Ladybugs face when I, wait. Actually I didn't even get to see Ladybug's face then either." Marinette started to laugh.

"I am so glad you showed up." She sighed. "I really needed this."

"Do you want to talk about?" He asked.

"I do, but I probably shouldn't and you shouldn't say anything about what you've seen on TV."

"On TV?" He asked. She just gave him a look. "Okay, I wont." Not that he knew all that much. He was still trying to figure out what had happened since the end of the judging, to the moment he gotten here, to upset her so much and why she'd been so concerned about him being Mr. Banana. He may have been a little less confused if he'd realized that the judging wasn't being aired live. As he stood there, he noticed she seemed to be shaking a little, wither it was from the cool air or her stress, he wasn't sure. He gently turned her around, so her back was to him and pulled her into a hug from behind. She relaxed almost instantly and leaned her head back against where his chest and shoulder met.

"Thank you." She whispered.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**CONFESSIONALS**

* * *

**MARINETTE**

_DID NOT SHOW UP_

**AIDEN**

Ha, the look on Marinette's face when that banana man showed up, priceless. This proves she shouldn't be allowed to remain on the show. It may not be her fault, but it's been giving her an obvious advantage.

**NADIA**

I've always wondered how much the guest judges knowing Marinette, affected her ranking, and to see it so blatantly obvious now. It's just really sad and upsetting. Maybe she should be removed from the show.

* * *

**BONUS**

* * *

**MR. BANANA**

The true identity of Mr. Banana was a secret. It hadn't started off that way, it just ended up that way. Mr. Banana had a couple costumes, one was kept at the studio in case of any problems, the other was kept with Mr. Banana himself. They sent a car to pick him up and take him home. One of the reasons Mr. Banana's true identity was secret was simply not enough people actually cared who Mr. Banana was, even as popular as he was. There had been a couple of attempts to figure it out, but they had all failed. One of the costumes had been stolen, although in a strange manner, since money was left behind that would more then pay for a new one. The suspect was none other then Cat Noir, since Mr. Banana had been seen fighting with an Akuma, so no report had been made about the theft and a new spare costume was made.

"Thank you so much for judging." Alec mentioned as he lead Mr. Banana to his car. The chauffer waited with the door held open.

"Stay Peachy." Mr. Banana replied.

"It was great that you didn't know any of the contestants."

"Stay Peachy?" Mr. Banana questioned.

"It's a long story, but the short of it was so far all of our guest judges have had a personal relationship of some sort or another with one of the contestants. If you watch the show you'll see what I mean.

"Stay Peachy." Mr. Banana replied and patted Alec's shoulder in a comforting manner before slipping into the backseat of the car. The doors were closed and Alec could not see in due to the privacy tinting. The driver went around the car to the drivers seat and slipped in. Once he was inside and the privacy screen went up between the front and the back Mr. Banana started to remove his costume. The driver knew the identity of Mr. Banana already since he had to pick him up. The screen between them was to keep anyone from looking in the front and seeing as Mr. Banana peeled away his costume.

"My legs are always visible, how is it no one has figured out I'm a woman?" The woman slipping out of the costume asked sounding annoyed. "I mean, aren't my legs my best feature?" She asked as she lifted her leg up and out. "Maybe it's because I wear athletic shoes, maybe that's why no one realizes how nice my legs are. If I wore heels, I bet my legs would get a lot of attention."

"I'm sure they would." The driver replied not willing to take the bait. The woman finished stripping down to her underwear, before slipping on her jeans and blouse. She'd been Mr. Banana for nearly five years now. She hadn't auditioned for the part or anything, she'd just ended up in it quite by accident. She'd been visiting her friend who was acting as the wardrobe manager on the set of show. The actor hired to play Mr. Banana hadn't shown up. She was on set waiting to go to lunch with her friend when she was asked, well begged, to put on the costume and go out and say her lines. She reluctantly agreed and went out on the set and screwed up her line, saying "Stay Peachy" Instead of whatever she was supposed to say. To this day she still couldn't remember the line. Not only that but she'd lowered her voice to sound a little more manly at the time too since the costume was _MR._ Banana.

The audience had loved it and Mr. Banana was brought back, with "Stay Peachy" being the only words he would say. She'd found it to be a challenge to try and convey as many meanings as possible with those two words and it seemed to work out. She also felt lucky that the costume's design mostly hid her pregnancy. She'd been afraid that she'd have to stop playing the part, but she hadn't. The only comment she got was from one of the directors. She'd looked at her in her Mr. Banana costume and asked "Putting on a little weight there aren't you?" And that was the extent of it.

"If you don't mind, can you drop me off about down the street from the house. I have a babysitter watching August right now and I don't want her seeing me get out of this car. It would be a little awkward to explain."

"Of course." The driver replied. When the car stopped the driver helped her get the stroller out of the back and set it up. The woman looked at the stroller and gave out a little gasp.

"Oh my. I think I did know one of the contestants. I think the one girl helped me with this stroller before. Oh I wonder if I should say something. I guess not, it's not like I wouldn't have been able to give her any more points anyway if I'd know."

"It's up to you, I don't think it matters though." The drive supplied before adding, "Do you want me to wait here for you or do you want to walk home?"

"I think I'll walk home. It'll be good to let little August get some fresh air." She gave her drive a little kiss on the cheek before heading towards the babysitter's house.

* * *

**NOTES**

* * *

**_TYPOS_**

"Well, let me call Ondine and see if she wants too." Kim asked and stepped away as he **puked** out his phone.

, we've hired a special **efforts** team to build prosthetics for your models.

Sorry it took so long to get this posted. Between the lack of reviews on the previous chapter, the whole drama with the fandom VS the creator, and another death in the family I haven't really been much in the mood.

The Mr. Banana part I wrote long before this chapter, knowing I was going to use Mr. Banana as a judge and this background wouldn't be at all affected by the story.

I don't have much else to say aside from Stay Safe.

**Remember Reviews help fuel the creative process.**

**PEACE & LOVE!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Gabriel's Obsession**

**Chapter 9**

* * *

**GABRIEL**

* * *

It had not been an easy decision for him, but the effect had been better then he'd hoped. Making Marinette come in second to last the first time when there was a judge who didn't know her had been an inspiration. That inspiration being the reactions of the other contestants to the nervousness Marinette showed when the judge was announced. He'd actually been rather surprised to see her like that. However, it did cross his mind after the fact that maybe she did know Mr. Banana or at least thought she knew him. He'd paid extra close attention to her, as he always did when the judges were announced. She'd looked fine when Mr. Banana first came out. Then again, maybe she'd be relieved about it at first and then nervous because she did not know him. He could be over thinking the whole thing and did not wish to spend the entire night doing so.

Gabriel was the only person who saw all the points the judges gave to the contestants. The system Nathalie had set up gave him the ability to position any contestant where he wanted them. He mostly used it for keeping Marinette in the top two spots. Truthfully, he barely needed to even do that. Although she'd never actually earned enough on her own to hit number one, she'd been number two for most of the contest. The only person he had actually ever saved from elimination was Miss Addison, and the only reason he'd done that was her relationship with Marinette. He wanted to make sure both Miss Addison and Miss Lighthouse were part of the final three. The tension that had formed between them and Marinette was especially helpful to his cause. He was also very aware of Miss Lighthouse's betrayal of Marinette in regard to the Viperion boy.

It had actually hurt him to force Marinette's rank down on her last design. The points she received would have put her in the number one spot naturally for the first time. Her design made him actually want someone to do a science fiction themed fantasy movie just so those designs could be on the big screen. The true irony of Marinette's points wasn't lost on him either. As much as they were setting it up to appear as if the guest judges she was friendly with were the reasons she scored so high, the truth had been otherwise. They were more critical of her designs then they were the other contestant's designs. In fact it had been Jagged Stone who'd given her the lowest score of all the judges. He'd told Nathalie that he knew Marinette's work already and that her designs weren't quiet what he'd expected of her. That had been the closest she'd actually come to being in the bottom two.

With his judging duties and contemplation finished, Gabriel put away the green screen he'd stood in front of during the filming, and the laptop he connected to the studio with, before entering his secret room. He placed a hand on Emilie's chamber and smiled at her.

"Soon my love, I will create the most powerful akuma ever and will finally get the miraculouses from Ladybug and Cat Noir so I can bring you back to me." He gave the glass a brief kiss just above her lips before returning to his office.

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

**_I kissed Cat Noir!_** Marinette yelled at herself in her head. **_What is wrong with me? Why did I do that? He has a girlfriend! I really am a terrible person._** She had her face down in her pillow and yelled into it a short quick scream.**_ I took advantage of him. He was concerned about me and I just took advantage of that. Why would I even do that? I was in love with Adrien, and I know Luka has feelings for me, so why would I kiss Cat Noir of all people?_** She screamed into her pillow again. **_He didn't kiss me back or push me away. He didn't push me away did he? No, he stopped the kiss but he still held me. What does that mean? Oh God I'm so confused! Why Cat Noir! _**She continued to go on like that until she eventually fell asleep.

* * *

**ADRIEN**

* * *

His fingers toyed with his lips a little as Adrien lay back on his bed looking up at the ceiling above him.

"I shouldn't have gone to see her." He whispered softly. "Now she's kissed Cat Noir. I knew she'd had feelings for him in the past, but I didn't think she'd actually kiss me, er him." His finger still ran over his lips, tracing the spot that had been warmed by hers. "Cat Noir is going to have to stay away from her for a while." He realized.

"What's wrong loooover boooy? Didn't enjoy the kiss?" Plagg teased before shoving a piece of Camembert nearly the size of his own head into his mouth.

"Shut up, Plagg." Adrien replied. "She kissed me, and I didn't kiss her back. I was there for her as a friend, just a friend. Nothing more."

"That's what you always say." Plagg replied through his chewing. Even without looking at his kwami eating, Adrien was disgusted by the sound of it. He was so irritable and he didn't understand why. He felt guilty, at least that, he understood. Cat Noir had given Marinette a little false hope about their relationship again, like just before her father had turned into Were-Dad and beat the crap out of him. He felt so bad about doing that. However, she'd had so much trust in him that she could cry in his arms like she had. It had felt nice to hold her while she cried. Not in some weird fetish way, but just knowing he was someone she felt she could turn to in her time of need. He wished Ladybug trusted him like that.

"I'm a terrible person." He whispered to himself just before Plagg belched sending wet partially chewed cheese all over the bed. Who knew it was possible to make Camembert smell even worse then it already did.

"Plagg!" He yelled at the disgusting mess.

"Don't worry, I'll clean it up." The kwami replied as he started to lick up the belched cheese. Adrien momentarily felt nauseous as he watched Plagg, wondering if he would need to sprint to the toilet.

* * *

**ALYA**

* * *

Alya felt bad for Marinette and everything she seemed to be going through on the show. She had been glad her best friend had made a couple of friends to confide in there. It had to be hard on her being the youngest contestant to start with, but to have so many of the surprise judges be people she knew and the reactions of the other contestants. Some of the things they said in the confessionals were terrible. Aiden, what a little backstabber that bitch turned out to be. Shoving Marinette at the beginning of the challenge. She wished she could warn her friend about her. What Marinette had done to Aimee had been so unexpected. Who knew Marinette even had that kind of dexterity. Maybe the stress was getting to her though. It seemed so out of character, although it did bring a smile to Alya's face.

She hated not being able to support Marinette with the purchasing of her fashions. They were well out of her price range, even with the money she was able to get through the LadyBlog. She also felt bad about letting Adrien purchase the outfits for her, although she was excited at the prospect of having them. She loved that swimsuit design. And Juleka, with a tan? She looked stunning, but Alya had to wonder how she'd done it. She always assumed Juleka would burst into flames if she stayed out in the sun too long.

Unfortunately, Alya had another set of problems to deal with, namely her friends going to Chloe's PTAS meetings. She couldn't believe how many people from her class had been there. How did she manage to draw in so many people? A lot of them probably didn't know the _REAL_ Chloe Bourgeois. That would explain most of them, but not the other students. They all knew Chloe personally. She wasn't a nice person. She was the ultimate evil. With that in mind, Alya went to another of Chloe's PTAS meetings. She hadn't meant to, but Alya started to pay attention to what Chloe was saying when she spoke. Naturally, Alya continued to glare at her most of the time, but it did sound like Chloe was trying to help. That just did not seem possible though and when it was over Chloe walked over to speak with her.

"A few of us are going out to get some coffee. Would you like to join us, Alya?" She'd asked. Chloe had hit her with a preemptive strike and Alya panicked for a moment, and couldn't help but wonder if this was how Marinette felt whenever Adrien use to talk to her.

"I don't think so." Alya replied.

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I have a rather busy day today."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. I do hope you can join us in the future. It's been nice to have you show up. I know you don't really like me."

"That's a nice way of putting it." Alya whispered under her breath.

"What was that?" Chloe asked.

"Oh nothing. Well, take care." Alya remarked before leaving.

"Be safe." Chloe called after her.

Alya left and headed for the café she'd seen the others go to previously and found a spot to sit down near the only area for a larger group. She put a scarf over her head and some tinted glasses to hide her identity. She wanted to hear what they had to say when she wasn't around.

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

**_Thank God she didn't come with_**, Chloe thought as the group walked to the café. **_I don't think I could take her glaring any longer. She was making me nervous. How dare she come to my meeting and treat me like that! _**

"Is everything okay?" Luka asked as he opened the door for her.

"Oh yes, I was just thinking about Alya not joining us." Chloe stated truthfully. Luka gave her a nod.

"It's a shame she didn't come with." He said as if agreeing with Chloe. Chloe smiled realizing that he had her thoughts all wrong, but that was fine. He was handsome; he could be forgiven for a moment of stupidity. Chloe froze a moment as she looked towards the table they would be sitting at. **_Does she really think that's a disguise?_** Chloe smiled before taking a seat that was directly behind where Alya was sitting. She wasn't sure what she would do with the knowledge that she was being spied on, but Chloe felt like it gave her an advantage.

"I'm actually glad Alya didn't come along." Chloe stated truthfully. The others looked at her rather surprised. "She makes me really nervous."

"Nervous?" Max asked. "That seems mathematically," He paused a moment as if calculating something in his head. "Actually that seems mathematically accurate."

"Thank you Max." Chloe replied. "I know she doesn't like me, and I don't blame her for that. I know I have not been the nicest person when in class." She noted that no one argued with her. "I think if she would just talk to me, maybe we could come to some kind of understanding, like with all of you, but she doesn't want to talk at all, not even about the times she was akumatized."

"I think maybe she'll open up sometime." Kim stated. "She's just got a lot of hate for you because of. . .Ouch!" Kim jerked his head towards Luka.

"Yeah, I think she has her reasons." Luka admitted glaring at Kim. Kim hmphed and took a big drink of is coffee. **_Damn it!_** Chloe yelled in her head. Kim was about to spill the beans and she could have started a conversation about the Miraculouses and how they got them.

"I hope we can one day talk about those reasons and even if we can't come to terms with all of them, maybe we can come to an understanding." Chloe stated in a political manner that showed that she was in fact the daughter of a politician. Behind her she heard movement and noticed out of the corner of her eye Alya leaving. She breathed a sigh of relief and the rest of their conversations were about Kitty Section and the upcoming term for school. Chloe realized she was actually looking forward to going back to school. When the group broke up after their coffee and snacks Luka stayed behind.

"You knew Alya was there." He made it a statement not a question.

"I did, and that's why I said those things."

"Why?"

"She won't talk to me in the PTAS meetings, she just glares at me the whole time, and she doesn't discuss anything. I have no opening to speak with her. This was my oppertunity to. I thought there was a small chance that maybe she'd come over to drink with us, but I guess not."

"I understand." Luka replied. "It's hard when you can't seem to get on the same page as someone else." Chloe couldn't help but feel like he was thinking about someone specific.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

"Maybe, but not just yet. There are a lot of complications right now. Soon a few of them will be cleared up and then I can talk to her more openly."

"Her? So would this be your girlfriend?" She asked feeling a little disappointed.

"Not yet." He sounded rather sad when he said it.

"Well, that's. . ." She paused. "I know I'm supposed to say too bad or rough or something, but I have to admit, I kind of like it. You're a handsome and talented boy, and if you can't get things to work out with that girl, I would be more then happy to go out with you." She smiled at him. Luka shook his head but laughed.

"At least you're being honest with your feelings." He stated and for a moment looked like he regretted his words. **_So maybe the girl in question has an honesty issue, or can't make up her mind problem. Even if I don't think Luka would be a long-term relationship for me, he would be fun to date. I hope it doesn't work out with her._**

"I do hope you can get your answers soon." She replied with a smile.

"Thanks." He said before heading his own way.

* * *

**ADRIEN 2**

* * *

"I have always wanted to see this place, but mother believed it to a frivolous waste of time." Kagami stated as they stood outside the wax museum.

"It's pretty cool here. I have my own wax statue." He grinned. "It's with the one of my father. Although, I wish my mother had been famous enough to have one to go with us." He frowned a little.

"Perhaps you could pay to have one made to go with you and your father." Kagami suggested as Adrien paid the entrance fee for them.

"I wonder if they would do that? I wonder how much that would cost?" It had never occurred to him to pay them make one of her. His mother had done a little modeling when she was younger, for his father of course, but she'd wanted to be an actress. She'd been in one film, put together by Audrey Bourgeois, before she became pregnant with him. After that, she'd taken charge of raising him and his early home schooling. She'd given up her career for him, and then, then he'd lost her.

The main exhibit in the museum was the Hall of Heroes and Villains. That was the first place they stopped. Adrien looked at the Ladybug statue and sighed slightly before looking at the others. Every hero was in there. Well, almost every one. The Jade Turtle was missing as well as Multimouse. He supposed Aspic was also missing, but then he'd barely been a hero when he'd had the Snake Miraculous. Adrien couldn't help but notice that Kagami was staring at her own super hero identity.

"I take it she's your favorite?" Adrien asked.

"I suppose so. She looks like she's Japanese." She replied. "The dragon motif is very lovely on her." He could hear a slight bit of wistfulness in her voice. He wished he could tell her that he knew who she was. Even though the heroes had been revealed to Hawk Moth, only Chloe's identity was public knowledge still. Unfortunately that meant that he couldn't tell Kagami that he knew who she was without possibly revealing his own identity. Though it would be different if she told him, but he'd noticed none of the miraculous users had said anything to anyone. Nino didn't even tell him he'd been Carapace and Nino often had problems keeping secrets.

The pair continued to look around. The museum had a way to vote for the next villain they added since there were now too many for them to keep up with and they wanted to prioritize adding the new heroes whenever they came out. He knew they were working on Foxy Night as the next one in fact. They went through a few other exhibit areas before ending up in front of his stature next to his father's statue.

"It really is amazing how lifelike it is." Kagami commented as she got as close as she could without crossing the barrier.

"I know, I actually tried to prank Marinette here when we'd been here for that reason." He stated thinking about his little joke.

"You and Marinette came here?" Kagami asked.

"Yeah, along with Nino, Alya and Manon Chamack, you know Nadja's daughter.

"Oh." Kagami remarked sounding strangely relieved. "Did you have fun with them?" She asked.

"Well, an akuma attacked and wax figures were attacking people. Honestly that part was like a horror movie." He laughed and Kagami smiled.

"That sounds like it would have been exciting."

"As exciting as akuma attacks are." He replied with a little laugh. "Actually, it looks like I might have to come back here again soon." He commented and pointed to one of his statue's arms. "Its hand is missing. That's why I was here last time. They needed to remake my arm since someone apparently stole it."

"That is a little weird."

"I know right. Then Manon wanted to play, and Nino and Alya took her around the museum, while I was trapped in the casting mold. If Marinette hadn't been there, I would have been left all alone."

"So they left you and Marinette alone, together?" Kagami asked. "What did you and Marinette talk about?"

"Not much, she had to use the bathroom. While she was gone the molding finished, so I went out into the museum and pretended to be my wax figure. I planned on scaring her, but she realized it was me and played her own prank."

"That is too bad your prank failed. It would have been funny." Kagami had just a slightly evil slash mischievous smile on her lips.

"I really thought I had her at first too, but then she started acting all crazy."

"Crazy?" Kagami asked.

"Yeah, well after touching me and sniffing me. . ."

"She sniffed you?"

"Oh yeah, and said something about it smelling just like me. I guess she didn't expect that of the statue. Although, I actually did give them a set of clothes so I bet it does smell like me. I guess that was part of her playing along though. But yeah, after that, she danced around me a bit, wishing she'd been modeled into a statue as well, wax lips to wax lips for eternity. Then she acted like she was going to kiss me."

"She kissed you? On the lips kissed you?"

"No, not really." He stated and touched his lips thinking for a moment about Cat Noir and Marinette's kiss. "I pulled away. I think she was trying to see if I would. She didn't think my prank was very funny though, and that's why she decided to mess with me I guess." Kagami just looked at him a little strangely.

"There are times I really feel sorry for her." Kagami remarked sadly.

"Yeah, it really wasn't a funny prank in the end, but she did get me good." Kagami still gave him an odd look before sighing and taking his hand to move on.

"We should look at some other displays." She commented with what he thought sounded like a note of pity in her voice.

* * *

**MARINETTE 2**

* * *

"You seem a little down." Nadia commented when Marinette came out of her room in the morning. She was still in her sleepwear, consisting of a pair of loose shorts and a tank top. Her hair was an absolute mess with one pigtail in place, the other loose as her hair tie seemed to be preparing to escape to its freedom. Marinette just looked at her through blurry bloodshot eyes. "I realize I don't know what the drinking age is here in France, but you look really hung over." The girl remarked with a laugh.

"It's eighteen and I am not. I just didn't sleep well." Marinette admitted. Ever since Cat Noir had shown up she was a pot of boiling over emotions.

"Yeah, you've got one slipper on and one sock on." Nadia pointed out even as the spaghetti strap on Marinette's tank top slipped off her shoulder. She went to the pot of coffee Nadia had prepared and just drank directly out of it before setting it back down next to the plate Nadia had also prepared for her. Once more Marinette was grateful to have Nadia on her side, or at least still with her, but Nadia still got along with everyone else too. Marinette was a little jealous of that. It wasn't her fault that she knew most of the judges. Her reaction to Mr. Banana was her fault, but they misinterpreted it, although she couldn't exactly explain her reason for her reaction. _Oh I'm sorry, I thought maybe it was Cat Noir under that costume since I've seen him wear it twice._ No, there was nothing she could do. The only good thing coming from it, was Aiden's similar appearance to Adrien while being such a bitch was actually helping her get over Adrien, at the very least.

"Be happy I'm dressed at all." Marinette countered in a grumble. "I almost took off my pajamas before coming out here."

"Well, that certainly would have been a sight." Nadia laughed. "Maybe you would have gotten Everett back on your side with that kind of show."

"If that's all it took, I wouldn't want him to be." She complained without thinking between bites of food, much like she had with Chloe and her Queen Bee presentation.

"Kitten's got claws huh." Nadia laughed again. "Oh, that does give me a great idea." She grinned like the Cheshire Cat and grabbed Marinette's hand to drag her out of the main room and down to the shower stalls.

"I can shower by myself!" Marinette screamed a moment later.

* * *

**NATHALIE**

* * *

With the smaller group of contestants now, it was easier for Nathalie to focus on Marinette, Nadia and Aiden then previously. She continued to pay close attention to their relationships looking for things she could use for the finale of the show. She was certain they had more then enough to push Marinette over the edge already, but she was the over achieving sort. Her curiosity got the better of her when she saw Nadia dragging Marinette to the showers. She didn't even notice Alec sneak up on her.

"Who are you watching this time?" He asked. Nathalie jumped and turned around seething in anger.

"Would you stop doing that!" She yelled, with more of an emotional reaction then she normally had, a lot more really.

"Did you know you're gorgeous when you're mad?" He asked with his award-winning smile. Nathalie couldn't help herself, she flushed a little at the comment. She was so use to tapping down her emotions that even she was surprised when they came out, but she never expected to be complimented because of it.

"I was not aware of that actually." She replied regaining her composure.

"Are you aware of just how beautiful you are in general?" He asked. She would have expected him to wink at her with that comment, but he didn't. A wink would have put it as his general flirtatious nature, but without it, his comment sounded so much more honest and it left her a little confused on how to respond. If Gabriel had said that to her she would have melted right then and there, but with Alec, she only felt her heart beating so much faster then normal. He was attractive, but he was also at least ten years younger then her. She placed her hand over her heart willing it to slow down. **_It was just from being startled, that's why my heart's beating so quickly, not because a young handsome man complimented me like no one else has in such a long time._**

"Are you aware that I am older then yourself?" She replied with a hint of annoyance.

"I am, and it does nothing but add to your beauty." He replied. Another uptick in her heartbeat occurred. **_Have I really been alone so long that his compliments are causing me such distress? _**She needed a distraction from the conversation. She would not wavier in her heart from Gabriel until such a time as it was impossible to have him with either her death, his death or the return to life of his wife. Lucky for her that distraction came in the form of Marinette.

"Seriously!" Marinette yelled, though it had a hint of amusement to it as well as irritation. She turned back to the screen. Nadia had just fitted Marinette with a set of pink cat ears, matching tail, and gloves that looked like paws. Not only that but Marinette was also wearing a pink shirt made from the same furry material as they accessories and a pair of pink denim shorts. Nathalie adjusted the camera to see that Marinette's feet were also paw-like with a strange tilt to them, and she realized they were built on heelless high heels, giving her feet a little more cat-like shape to them. Nadia was drawing whiskers and a cat nose on Marinette with an eyeliner pencil; at least Nathalie hoped that's what it was.

"At least someone still talks to her." Alec commented as he looked at the screen. "Even if it looks like a big sister picking on a little sister."

"I sometimes think it was a bad idea to let Marinette participate. I know I approved it, but I thought the other contestants would be friendlier towards her because she was so much younger. I didn't expect there to be so much animosity towards her." Nathalie mentioned in what may have been an acting job worthy of an award.

"I know what you mean. If only we could have done a better job vetting the judges, but who would have though a teenage girl would be on such personal terms with so many celebrities?"

"I couldn't agree with you more. Hopefully we won't have to worry about that with the last two judges. I can't imagine she would have any connections with either of them."

"What do you mean they're buckled on? Get them off me." Marinette cried through the speaker of the monitor Nathalie and Alec were at. The pair looked back at the girls on the screen. Marinette was trying to grab Nathalie but not having any luck. Her natural clumsiness took over and she ended up falling thanks to those modified shoes. That didn't stop her though; she gave chase on all fours.

"There is no way this isn't going to end up on the next episode." Nathalie remarked with a smile.

"Nope." Alec replied with a laugh. "Is Nadia trying to put a collar and leash on her now?"

"It appears so." Nathalie replied. "It really does seem like Nadia is picking on her little sister or something."

"It's really too bad it can't last. I imagine that once Marinette finds out about Nadia and Luka, that'll put an end to their closeness."

"Maybe, but I had a friend who was as close to me as a sister could be, and we fell in love with the same man, but she won him. We still remained close after that though."

"Um, you sound like you're no longer close to her though."

"We're not. She's no longer with us." Nathalie explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry. How did it happen?"

"I killed her." Nathalie replied. The look on Alec's face made her burst out laughing in a very un-Nathalie like way. "I'm kidding."

"Oh good."

"She ended up getting really sick. The doctors weren't able to do anything for her."

"I'm really sorry to hear that."

"So was I."

"I'll take them off, just stop chewing on them." They heard Nadia yell and they both turned to the monitor to watch the insanity.

* * *

**LUKA**

* * *

Luka listened as the others spoke at the PTAS meeting. He looked over at Alya who did seem to be listening intently to what was being said instead of glaring at Chloe. Apparently Chloe's speech at the café had worked, at least a little. He was glad it had. He also felt that Nino coming in with Alya was a good sign. He didn't want to see Alya and Chloe at each other's throats, and he'd been especially worried about Alya since she'd cancelled the last couple of get-togethers with the other former Miraculous users. After the meeting had ended Alya and Nino had stayed behind. Luka, Max and Kim helped Chloe straighten up the space as they often did before heading to the café. Some of the others who often went to the Café with them, left to get their table in advance. That was when all hell started to break loose.

"I know exactly what you've been trying to do." Alya stated in anger. "You want to get us to admit to being heroes." Luka was stunned she straight came out and said that.

"So what if I was. Maybe I want to talk about that. I was a hero too. I was even celebrated as one." Chloe remarked in just as much anger.

"Yeah, and look just how you screwed that up with your selfish little bitch attitude." Alya replied. Luka, Kim, Max and Nino all discreetly got into positions near the two girls in case things got physical.

"I get that I exposed myself for my own selfish wishes. I even understood that I made myself a liability when Mayura stalked me, but they were _my_ parents! I should have been the one Ladybug choose to fight along side her, not the pretentious dragon witch!"

"And you took your anger out on everyone like a spoiled little brat!" Alya yelled.

"Do you want me to apologize for that? Is that it?"

"No, I want you to admit what you did. Stop pretending that you give a shit about anyone else and admit what a little self-absorbed bitch you are!"

"Oh and I bet you were perfectly fine when Ladybug had someone else use your Miraculous." Chloe yelled. Alya's face went white. She'd been angry about it. Luka could see tears in the eyes of both girls. Surprisingly Chloe looked more upset about what she'd said then he expected her to be. "Maybe, you're stronger then I am." Chloe admitted softly before Alya could respond. " You didn't even get akumatized when Ladybug went to someone else, but I accepted Hawk Moth's other and let him akumatize me." And there she'd said it; she said it with tears streaming down her cheeks. Luka had honestly been hoping Ladybug and Alya had been wrong about Chloe. She wasn't the person he expected her to be based on what he'd been told, and he thought maybe she was trying to be a better person, but still this admission sunk his heart. No one was prepared for what happened next though. Alya's hand lashed out and slapped Chloe across the cheek extremely hard. All four of them, Nino, Max, Kim and himself, who had been watching in case things got physical hadn't really been prepared enough to stop it. Red exploded on Chloe's cheek and a moment later, Alya had Chloe wrapped up in her arms, stroking the back of her head.

"Go ahead and cry." She whispered, and Chloe did. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever when Chloe finally pulled away and found a box of tissue's to blow her nose.

"I have something I need to confess." She said softly. As Chloe described why she had created the group and it's connection to Hawk Moth, Nino did grab Alya from behind in what could be considered a supportive hug but which kept her from going after Chloe again. Luka needed to distract them.

"Hey Max, could you use that phone Hawk Moth gave her to track him?" His plan worked, everyone's eyes turned to Max.

"I believe with the he help of Markov we could do so as long as he contacts Chloe again." He replied.

"I usually send him a message after these sessions, and he almost always responds." Chloe added.

"Then yes I believe we can." Max announced.

"Oh my God Chloe, if we can find Hawk Moth because of this, I would kiss you." Alya cried.

"Please don't." Chloe replied, but she had a slight smile on her lips and a blush in her cheeks, making her look rather lovely to Luka. Alya grinned and grabbed Chloe by the shoulders and planted a large comical kiss to Chloe's lips. Everyone started to laugh at the Chloe's expression afterwards, even Chloe. As a group they rushed out of the meeting room and headed straight towards La Grand Paris, only to be sorely disappointed.

"It would appear that the phone has had some of a melt down as if it self destructed." Max commented when Chloe pulled it out, it's plastic body still smoking a little.

"Why? How" Chloe asked confused and a little scared.

* * *

**GABRIEL 2**

* * *

"Well that was unexpected and disappointing." Gabriel Agreste stated as he set an old style flip phone down. He took out a small tool kit and used it to break the phone down in smaller parts before smashing the separate parts. Once that was done he went into his hidden lair where he put the parts into a small incinerator and melted them to slag. "I suppose I may need to move on to my plan B for her. I hope it does not come down to that."

* * *

**LADYBUG**

* * *

"Pound it!" The words spoken as three fists came together, one red, one black and one pink. The red fist belonged to Ladybug, who had really needed this battle. She glad to have the distraction from everything else going on in her life.

"So what should we call you?" Cat Noir asked the newest hero to join their ranks and the owner of the black fist.

"I was thinking, Baroness." The young woman and owner of the pink fist replied. She had been given the Snake Miraculous to use, and just like with Foxy Night, her appearance was much different the previous, in this case, two users. She had on pink thigh high boots, with a medium heel that was curved to a point that resembled a fang. Ladybug honestly wasn't sure how she could walk in them. At the top of the pink, was what resembled black leggings under a red dress with a skirt that billowed out when she moved. The dress itself had a sweetheart neckline. The torso area in the front had a pink section like the underbelly of a snake and matching up with the neckline and her shoulders, was that same black as the leggings. She also had shoulder length pink gloves. Her head was covered in a cowl, much like Aspik had been, with a couple of points resembling fangs near her mouth. Along with the cowl, she had a hood that billowed out to resemble that of a King Cobra, in mostly black with red highlights inside. Everything had a scale pattern to go with the coloring to match her snake theme.

"Like from the old Action Force cartoon?" Cat Noir asked. She nodded.

"My father grew up in American and loved watching it as a kid, although it was called G.I. Joe there. I thought since I have this cobra theme, I would use Baroness as a way to honor his memory." She said softly.

"Um, Baroness, you shouldn't give out personal information like that, it could be a clue to your secret identity and we won't be able to use you anymore." Ladybug chided.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think about that." She replied while Cat Noir actually glared at Ladybug for a moment. That surprised her a little.

"Anyway Baroness, we should go. Take care Cat Noir." She stated. She wondered if he'd noticed her looking at his face, specifically his lips. She couldn't forget about that stupid kiss. It was worse then the Oblivio incident, because she'd done it herself, not the version of her who didn't remember anything.

"Good Bye, Ladybug. Nice meeting you Baroness." Cat Noir replied as she grabbed Baroness and carried her to a hidden area not too far away. Both Ladybug and Baroness hid in different areas as their transformations ended. Marinette gave Tikki a snack so she could transform again.

"I'm glad I could help you." Rose said softly as she passed the box with the Snake Miraculous in it behind the area Ladybug had hidden. Marinette checked with Tikki to see if the Kwami had eaten enough. Once she had she whispered her transformation phrase and picked up the box.

"I'm glad you could too." She replied as she came out in the open. "You did a wonderful job helping us."

"I wasn't sure I could do it, but I surprised myself finding the strength I needed to help save Juleka." She replied smiling. "I have to get back to make sure she's okay." Rose gave Ladybug a quick hug before running off. Ladybug smiled.

"Tikki, Kaalki, merge." She stated and combined the Ladybug and Horse Miraculous. "Portal." She called out and stepped through.

* * *

**MARINETTE 3**

* * *

Marinette headed to her room, getting to it just before one of the staff called everyone together. Not that there were a lot of people anymore. Aside from her, there were now only three others. Half the original contestants were gone. She didn't feel any lonelier though, since most of them ignored her after the second week. Marinette followed the others, with Nadia slipping back next to her.

"This weeks theme?" She asked.

"Probably." Marinette replied.

"What do you think it'll be?"

"Moon Travel." Marinette replied.

"Deep Sea." Nadia retorted.

"Criminal Activity."

"Lego Chic."

"Those would be really boxy pants."

"Yeah, no way to show off any curves with that." Nadia frowned before laughing. Marinette smiled. When they entered, they saw four people on the main stage. Nathalie was dressed as Majestia and suspended in the air in a flying pose while Alec was on the ground, wearing a suit, that resembled Majestia's uniform. Next to them was a pair of staffers, the male one dressed as a fire fighter on a ladder, while the female one wore a dress inspired by the gear worn by the firefighter.

Suddenly Nathalie "flew" over them and landed on the other side of the stage.

"Heroes, everyone has them. Whether it's an actual super hero or a parent, a police officer or a teacher, a fire fighter or a politician."

"Probably not a politician." Alec replied with a laugh and Nathalie laughed with him. "What we're looking for from you all this week, are designs inspired by your heroes. You can use the same one for both of your designs, or have two different heroes, the choice is up to you."

"As an added treat this week, we've designed a fun obstacle course for you all to participate in to earn extra time on your designs." Nathalie added with a huge smile. The contestants groaned. Nathalie flew back up into the air and over their heads once again to land near the door. Alec was already there and unhooked the wires that had been used to suspend her.

"Please follow us." Alec called out as they went through the door. After traveling through the hallways they exited outside to where the pool was only to see the area had been transformed into a ridiculous looking obstacle course.

"Obstacle Course or Ninja Training Course?" Everett asked as he stared at it. The thing was massive and had four lanes set up. It even incorporated the pool into it. Alec and Nathalie laughed at the comment but didn't answer. They lead the contestants to a set of four temporary changing rooms.

"Inside you'll find a few different sets of clothes to run the course in. Please pick out whatever you're comfortable with and meet at the starting line in twenty minutes." Nathalie stated as she pointed to them. Each one was marked with a contestant's name. Marinette went inside of hers and looked at the clothes. Not everything was practical for such a contest. Sure there was pretty standard work out clothing and swimwear, but also capes, masks dresses and skirts. A variety of shoes were lined up on the floor, ranging from flip-flops to high-heeled stilettoes. There was also a set of markers on a small table as well.

"Are we expected to put together a super hero costume?" She wondered aloud. She looked through it all. Yes, she could put together a superhero costume if she wanted too, all kinds really. She thought about what she saw in the obstacle course, which honestly they hadn't been given enough time to really go over it before having to choose proper attire. She looked over all clothing choices again and started to grab stuff before getting changed.

Marinette picked a pink sports bra, which she drew in the flower pattern she had on her favorite shirt. Along with that, she had tight black workout shorts that ran a quarter of the way down her thigh. She picked out a pair of calf length smooth leather boots, with rubber soles for traction, with just a standard slight heel that most men's and women's boots had. She picked a pair of black bracers for her wrists, which looked to be designed for added support as well as decoration, with a matching domino eye mask. She tore some pink ribbons from a dress that was in with the clothes and used a couple of bobby pins to pin them to her hair after undoing her usual pigtails. She quickly worked her hair with the ribbons included into a loose French braid. She picked out bright pink lipstick and matching nail polish to finish off her look. She checked herself in the mirror and decided to make the nails on her ring fingers black before stepping out. She was the first one done and went to wait for the others at the starting line. It gave her more of a chance to look over the course.

The next one to arrive was Everett. He'd gone with full classic superhero design, with a zentai suit in blue, red shorts with matching cape and boots. He had a hood over his head with a red domino eye mask on his face. All Marinette could think about was how heavy all that would get if he fell into the water.

Next up was Aiden. She'd gone with a pair of dark green leggings, a black tank top with thick shoulder straps, black sneakers and a short cape that went down to her mid back. She elected to not go with a facemask, and just kept her hair in a ponytail. Like Marinette, she seemed to be going more for utility then style. When Nadia came out, everyone's jaws dropped.

The first thing that stood out were Nadia's boots. She's chosen silver thigh high boots, with a high stiletto heel. A short black circle skirt that fluttered easily in the soft breeze wrapped around her waist occasionally showing off the ruffled silver dance shorts under it. She had one a sheer black top that went fully down her arms with a silver leather like bustier. She had matching silver, fingerless gloves that went to her elbow. Her hair we left mostly free with just a silver headband holding it back out of her face. She'd continued her silver and black look with her make-up, going with a black lower lip and silver upper lip along with silver and black, layered eye shadow. She even gave herself a silver blush to her cheeks.

Even Nathalie and Alec were staring at Nadia in surprised.

"You know this is an obstacle course right?" Nathalie asked before she could stop herself.

"Yes, I am aware of that." There was a bit of a pause as everyone took in her words.

"Okay, so there are four lanes at the beginning of the course. You are allowed to sabotage your fellow contestants if you get the opportunity. The winner of the obstacle course gets twelve extra hours to work on the next project. Second place gets eight, third place gets four and last place gets none." Alec explained.

"If you fail at an obstacle, you need to go back to the beginning of that obstacle and start over." Nathalie added.

"Just the obstacle, not the course itself." Alec clarified. "If you find you can't get past an obstacle, you can forfeit the challenge.

"On your marks." Nathalie said.

"Get set." Alec added.

"GO!" They yelled in unison. The four started to run. Nadia took an early lead. **_I'd forgotten how fast she could run in heels_**, Marinette thought. Marinette and Aiden were tied for second place as they came to the first obstacle, a climbing net. Nadia was already at the top as Marinette and Aiden started their way up. Aiden made it to the top before Marinette could. Her leg had slipped through the net too many times. Everett also made his way ahead of her at the net. The next obstacle was over the pool. It was a series of spinning ropes across the pool. Each spinner had two ropes hanging down with a series of thick knots in each one. You would need to grab a rope, as the disk it was attached to spun, then hold on while it brought you in range of the next one and grab that rope and so on for four times. Marinette made it in time to see Nadia jump off the last one onto solid ground and Everett and Aiden collide together on the ropes to fall into the water. Marinette jumped to grab the first one and did two rotations before she was able to grab the next rope. She slipped a little but held on. She made it to the third rope and realized her feet her on top the bottom knot. When she grabbed the fourth rope, she's slipped to where only her hands were holding on and her feet were flying loose. When she tried to get back to stable ground, she missed and went into the pool herself. She had to swim back and try again

It took her three attempts to get past the ropes. With her hands and ropes getting wet, it became more difficult every time. Aiden made it in two attempts, and Everett was still trying when she finally made it across. Her and Aiden managed to keep switching places during the obstacles, which included a rotating tunnel, swinging punching bags on a balance beam, a series of platforms you had to jump to while a large padded bar swept over them, and climbing ropes among others. By the time Aiden and then Marinette passed the finish line, Nadia was sitting in a deck chair sipping lemonade through a curly straw.

"How!" Aiden asked though heavy breathing. Marinette didn't bother asking but wanted to know as well.

"Oh, I'm a military brat." She replied. "My father always supported my interest in fashion, but with one caveat. I had to be able to either fight or flee in whatever I wanted to wear, preferably both."

"Huh?" Marinette asked confused. Nathalie and Alec were listening closely as well, obviously wanting an answer.

"Basically he made me wear the kind of clothing I wanted to wear while I did the base's obstacle course and sparred."

"What?" Alec asked stupefied.

"So I was running an army obstacle course wearing stilettoes and tight skirts when I was a teenager. I could perform it better then most of the enlisted women and about a third of the enlisted men. I actually had a lot of fun doing it." She smiled a glorious smile. "I am actually more comfortable in heels then I am in flats too, so that helps." She added. Just as she finished speaking Everett crossed the finish line. He'd removed most of his clothing, except for his underwear and boots. It turned out Everett was a thong man.

* * *

**NATHALIE 2**

* * *

"In case you were interested, the clothing choice held no special bonuses or points in this round." Nathalie announced after everyone had changed back into their normal clothing and met on the main stage.

"What?" The four asked in unison.

"We just wanted to see what you would pick." Alec remarked.

"Mr. Agreste was interested in seeing if you would go for style, practicality or a mixture of both."

"As with our other time events, everyone will start at the same time when working on their projects and as you run out of time you'll have to stop."

"You can start now." Nathalie called out. The contestants went right to their stations. Nathalie and Alec gave them a couple of hours before going around to speak with them. This time, Nathalie didn't carry around her tablet with Gabriel on it. He wanted to be surprised by the designs since the hero subject was so personal and subjective.

"That's um rather unusual." Nathalie commented when she saw Aiden's design.

"I know, and it's a risk, but I'm willing to take that risk." She replied. Alec just shook his head. Nathalie looked at Everett's design and shook her head a little. She was certain it wouldn't go over well. Then she came upon Nadia, who's design apparently seemed the most suited thus far for the theme. Finally she got to Marinette's station.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir." Alec stated. "Isn't that a little expected?" He asked.

"I know, but they are our local super heroes, so how could I not do that?" She replied. Nathalie was actually rather disappointed in her choice. She'd been expecting Marinette to come up with something more creative then Ladybug and Cat Noir. Alec just chuckled about it

* * *

**MARINETTE 4**

* * *

Three quarters through her time, Marinette was not happy about her Ladybug design. She'd finished her design for the Cat Noir inspired suit for Luka to wear, but she didn't like the Ladybug dress. Not that it was bad or anything, it just didn't speak to her. The style was fine, the patterning was fine, but she just didn't want to present it for the judging. She already knew she was taking a rather cliché approach for this theme and in truth, if she failed, she wouldn't be heartbroken about leaving the show. She'd miss Nadia, but that was about it. She would never quit on her own, but losing, well that was something else after all. Not that she would just throw the fight. She would still make the best designs she could.

Marinette closed her eyes and thought about Ladybug. The only time she ever really saw Ladybug was in the mirror or photos. Since she was Ladybug she couldn't never see her with her own eyes, although that didn't feel like the problem to her. She rubbed her face with her hands and touched her lips and immediately thought of Cat Noir and the kiss she'd placed on him. She saw him looking down at her surprised with his eyes wide, those beautiful green eyes. Suddenly her own eyes opened wide. She knew what she wanted to do. She rushed to the fabrics and picked out what she wanted and went to the dying station. She needed to get the color just right.

She worked on the new dress, rushing as fast as she could. She felt really excited about it as she hurried to complete it, sleeping for only a couple hours at a time. She managed to put her finishing touches on it, mere minutes before she had to stop. She couldn't wait to see Juleka wear it. At least she finally had time to get some sleep,

* * *

**LUKA 2**

* * *

"Wow, these are stunning." Luka stated after he and Juleka had been dressed.

"I'm really surprised about them." Juleka commented. "I didn't realize you were such a fan."

"Well, I was inspired." Marinette replied. Juleka was wearing the new dress and Marinette decided to wear the old one. She usually preferred not to wear Ladybug inspired fashion, but in this case, well, it went with the theme. As the judges went around, Luka watched and listened as he always did. First up was Nadia. He frowned a little as he remembered his last interaction with her.

"To be honest, my father is a hero to me, and so I based my design on him and his military career. I realize it may not sit well with other people, but I don't care." The truth was, her designs were amazing. She managed to work in a camouflage theme without it being overpowering to the design. After her came Everett with a couple of familiar looking designs.

"My inspiration for this was one of my personal heroes of fashion, Gabriel Agreste." He stated. That's why they looked familiar, both his models were wearing clothing that appeared to be a take on what Gabriel Agreste was known to wear.

"Mr. Frei, did you honestly think that pandering to me would help you in this contest?" Gabriel asked through the speaker on the tablet in Nathalie's hands. Everett looks flustered and a little angry.

"I wasn't pandering, you really are in inspiration to me." He remarked. Gabriel had Nathalie move towards Aiden's platform as if ignoring Everett.

"Although many might consider him to be a villain, I was actually inspired by Paris's own Hawk Moth." Aiden explained.

"I would love to hear an explanation for that." Gabriel stated sounding less then convinced.

"I've seen the footage of what he's done, how's he's broken down social barriers, and gone against the politicians and the police in this city. It's like he's Paris's own masked social justice warrior. I feel that makes him a hero in my book."

"An interesting take. I'm not sure I can agree with you, Miss Addison, however it was a rather bold move on your part and I will applaud you on that. I imagine however it not going over well." Gabriel Agreste stated.

"I understand, after all as a designer we always take a risk when we make a bold move." She replied. Gabriel Agreste actually smiled at that statement. Finally it was Marinette's turn and the Judges looked at her designs.

"I realize it's a little cliché to choose to do the actually super heroes in Paris, but with how often I've been rescued by them, I thought it would be appropriate." Marinette explained. The judges looked at Luka's outfit first. It always felt a little weird to him to be looked over like that, but at least he knew they were looking at his clothes and not at him. Marinette had created a Cat Noir inspired suit, using a black cloth, that while breathable, also resembled the color and shininess of the hero's actual costume, but she used green thread to hold it together and the lapels were also done in a green cloth. Those matched the green in the button up shirt, with gold buttons he wore under it. She'd slipped a gold necktie around his neck and had given him black loafers with the same green stitching to highlight that color. She'd topped him off with a wig in a similar green as well as a set of cat ears in black.

"You can also change out the necktie for a bell in you want to be more playful." Marinette explained as Luka switched the tie to a bell. Luka noticed that Nathalie actually smiled at that to match the grin that Alec had. Then they went to Juleka's outfit.

"That doesn't appear to be Ladybug inspired." Gabriel commented.

"Oh it isn't, it's also Cat Noir, but I took a different inspiration from him." Marinette explained as Juleka posed wearing the green skater dress. It had a similar cut to the ladybug dress Marinette wore. "I took the inspiration from Cat Noir's eyes for this one and the gorgeous green they are." The silken dress had black stitching to make them stand out the same way the green stitching did on Luka's suit. It was long sleeved with a sweetheart neckline that accentuated Juleka's cleavage, but it also had a collar with straps off to the sides just at her shoulders. In this instance there was already a golden bell at Julek's throat on the collar. She also wore wrist length fingerless gloves with a folded hem at the wrist to give them a little more depth. She wore a pair of black faux thigh high stockings, with little cat faces on the front of them leading down to green folded leather ankle boots with a medium heel. Marinette had ordered a special custom wig for Juleka. It was long and black with green streaks through it, braided into a single long tail that looked very much like the hair on Lady Noire. Juleka also sported a set of green cat ears, with a pink interior.

"And I didn't leave Ladybug out on this design." Marinette added as Juleka did a twirl causing the skirt to flutter out and up revealing a pair of tight shorts that were red with black spots. "Also it can go from fun and flirty everyday to a more serous night out." Juleka slipped off her boots and into a pair of green high heeled pumps, as she took off the ears with one hand and the bell with the other.

"I am wonderfully surprised with your design." Gabriel Agreste admitted.

"You mentioned you were inspired by Cat Noir rescuing you?" Alec asked with a too wide smile on his face.

"Yes." She replied. "It's happened more times then I care to admit." She joked.

"So it wasn't inspired by this?" He asked and on the large screen came a video showing the moment Marinette had kissed Cat Noir on the balcony. The video was shot from the side, as if someone had taken it, because the angle would not have come from the show's hidden cameras. Marinette opened her mouth but no words came out. Juleka's eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of her head, and Luka felt a little sick to his stomach.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Shouted a voice from one of the other contestants. "First she knows like every judge in this competition, and now she knows the fucking local super hero enough to make out with him. This is total bull shit!" The voice belonged to Nadia. Marinette moved to speak again only to have an open hand slap her across the face. That hand belonged to Juleka.

"How could you!" Juleka yelled. Tears were seeping from her eyes. She ran off the platform and towards the hallway. Marinette also had some tears in her eyes as she rubbed her cheek.

"Juleka, wait." She cried weakly and still a little stunned.

"Don't worry, I'll get her." Luka said softly and took Marinette's hand and gave it a little squeeze before chasing his sister. Juleka hadn't gone to far down the hallway before she'd collapsed on the ground in a fit of sobs.

"Jewels." Luka said soothingly using an old nickname of hers. Juleka looked up at him.

"How are you not angry about that?" She asked obviously stunned from his demeanor.

"I can't say it doesn't hurt, but I have no business get mad at her for it." He said in a near whisper.

"You've been nothing but supportive of her, and she keeps on toying with you. She knows how you feel but she can't commit either way and then she kisses Cat Noir. How does that even happen?"

"Had you not interrupted us during the prom search we would have kissed." He said before he could stop himself. He was still annoyed about that interruption and seeing the video of Marinette and Cat Noir had brought it back to the surface, since it had him wondering if they had kissed would she have been more inclined to seek his comfort instead of the cat's. He'd never been jealous of Adrien Agreste since he knew Marinette liked him already, but Cat Noir did come out of nowhere.

"When?" She asked clearing confused.

"When you found us on the floor together. We were about to kiss. Not the most romantic moment, but it was a moment."

"I'm sorry, but still, it doesn't change anything now. She still kissed him while keeping you on a short leash." Luka didn't want to say it, didn't want to admit it, but he felt like he should tell his sister about what happened a few weeks prior.

"I made out with Nadia." He stated.

"What?" She asked in a combination of surprise and confusion.

"It's not like I wanted to do it. She didn't really give me a choice in the matter. I told her to stop, but she wouldn't. I could have forced her off me, but I was afraid I'd hurt her and how that would end up looking, so I just went with it."

"She forced herself on you?"

"Well I wouldn't say that, I mean I'm a guy and girls can't do that to guys." He replied.

"Luka, that's what you just described." She wanted to yell it at him, but she was obviously too self-conscience of where they were and did in in a loud whisper instead. He couldn't quite believe what she was saying to him. It didn't make sense to him. "What did Marinette say when you told her?"

"I didn't tell her." He replied. Juleka's expression turned even darker.

"Why didn't you tell her? Were you worried about her friendship with Nadia?" She asked in an accusing tone. He nodded. "You keep putting other people ahead of yourself. You need to stop it."

"But isn't that what you love about me?" He asked and paused. "Sorry that didn't sound right." He'd expected Juleka to laugh a little maybe at least crack a smile, but no, she didn't.

"Then it doesn't matter. She was still leading you on and she kissed Cat Noir." Juleka stated. He needed to take another approach.

"Okay, we can discuss all of this later. We signed a contract for our service as models for the show, and we can't afford to break it."

"Fine." Juleka replied. Luka held his hand out to help her up but she refused it. They walked back and when they got to their place, Gabriel Agreste's image was up on the large monitor.

"To start off, Cat Noir is not and not scheduled to be a judge for this series, so Marinette's moment with him, will not effect the judging. Furthermore, the producers of the show, have gone over the footage and have determined that Cat Noir did not talk to Marinette about anything on the show. We have found that there is no reason to hold this against her in anyway." Nadia looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it. "So if you please, announce our special guest judge."

"Of course, Sir." Nathalie replied. "I'd like to introduce to you all, this week's special guest judge, the director of the Ladybug and Cat Noir Movie, Thomas Astruc." She announced. The rather wide looking man with dark hair and beard stopped out. He was holding his smartphone in his hand and was looking it over.

"And blocked." His voice was picked up by the microphone attached to his jacket. "You too, blocked." His voice sounded like a giddy child.

"Is everything alright Mr. Astruc?" Alec asked.

"Oh yes, sorry. Some trolls found out I was cutting Cat Noir from the sequel and are harassing me with inane questions, like **why** and **but aren't they partners?**" Luka looked over at Marinette and she appeared to want to say something but didn't. Astruc looked up from his phone and at the contestants finally.

"Oh hey, I know you. You don't have any of those macaroons on you again do you?" He asked.

"What, you know her?" Nathalie questioned looking more surprised then he'd ever seen her.

"Oh yes, she was a waitress at the premiere of my movie. She gave me an entire tray of the best macaroons I've ever had." He shrugged. "I don't know her name or anything, but I always remember the faces of those who give me food. Is she here as a caterer?" Luka noted that everyone just sort of stared at him after that statement and question. Nathalie stood there with one arm crossed in front of her, the other's elbow rested on it, with her face hidden by her hand as she shook her head.

"Actually, she is one of our contestants. So anyway, why don't you have a look at the fashions." Alec suggested. Astruc nodded and puled out his phone to block a couple of others as he looked at the fashions. When he got to Marinette's he looked at her and then to Luka and Juleka.

"So I'm judging these two designs," He pointed to Luka and Juleka, "Not this one?" He asked pointing to Marinette.

"Yes sir." Marinette replied. He looked at her then turned to look at Juleka's dress. Juleka for her part didn't actually do anything but stand there, with her anger visible on her face.

"So these are inspired by Cat Noir?"

"Yes, both of them are."

"No accounting for taste." He remarked. Luka barely managed to grab Marinette before she attacked the judge. "It's too bad you didn't want to submit that Ladybug dress. I like it better then the Cat Noir one." He went back to the stage for the scores to be finalized.

"In this regard, we will know who our top two are right after we announce our bottom two." Alec said as he prepared to give out the results. "Our bottom two this week are, Everett Frej and Nadia Lighthouse." There were actual gasps at that announcement from the audience and the contestants.

"In a rather stunning, um, well it's left me a little speechless to be honest." Gabriel Agreste said. "But considering the choice, it's just, surprising, our top place contestant this week is Aiden Addison." Aiden jumped and clasped her hands in front of her in a happy moment. Marinette turned towards her, but as in recent times past, she was ignored.

Once the show was over Juleka practically ripped off the dress as she walked back to the dressing area to get her clothes. She was still so angry, her natural shyness was overruled and she'd ended up stripping in front of everyone along the way.

"I'm sorry Luka." Marinette whispered as she looked up at him. He wanted to be supportive of her, he didn't want to be mean, but he was finding it a little hard. Once more he was surprised at his own surge of jealousy towards Cat Noir. There was still the Nadia issue though and he felt torn.

"It's okay Marinette." He said at last. He wanted to ask her if she was in love with Cat Noir. He was certain she wouldn't have an answer, like she didn't have an answer for him. It wasn't hard to see that she'd been having such a difficult time. More then once her eyes had looked ragged and empty of life when they'd gotten there for the fittings and prep for the show. Kissing Cat Noir was obviously just a reaction to his being there for her. Right?

"I. . ." She started again.

"Don't." He whispered. "I'll worry about Juleka." He didn't know if Juleka was going to be Marinette's concern, but if she wasn't, Luka didn't want to hear another apology or explanation. "Ill talk to her." He added. Marinette looked like she wanted to argue, but he wasn't sure what part she would argue about. He took her hand in his and gave it a little squeeze again before going after his sister.

* * *

**KAGAMI**

* * *

Kagami couldn't help but laugh as she watched the screen next to Adrien. She leaned against him, placing her hand on his thigh.

"Luka looks so uncomfortable right now." She said through her laughter.

"Yeah, he does." Adrien laughed too.

"Are you one to talk? Would you be any more comfortable going through lingerie like that?" She asked as Luka held up a teddy.

"I mean, I'm a model. I've been around lingerie plenty of times when we've had extra models for a show. I've even helped some of them dress."

"Oh, then why were you so uncomfortable with mine?" She asked.

"Because you were taking it off and putting it on me." He retorted.

"So would you wear mine if I just brought you fresh clean ones?" She asked with an attempt at a seductive tone, though it failed pretty miserably.

"Ah No." He remarked. "You're not paying me to model your underwear, so no."

"What if I paid you to wear it?" She asked.

"You are being very weird right now, you realize that don't you."

"Adrien, you need to have more fun." She pouted.

"What the. . ."Adrien said as he looked at the screen. Kagami sighed. **_He always seems ready to be distracted by something . . . what the hell is going on?!_** She was caught up in the scene in front of her on the screen.

"Aren't you friends with her?" Luka was saying to Nadia

"Friends sometimes share." She replied to Luka with a little wink. He didn't reply and she kept going. "Lets be honest, I don't think she's toying with you, at least not on purpose, but I see how you look at her and how she looks at you."

"Oh, and how does she look at me?" Luka asked sounding a little annoyed.

"Like she's confused and conflicted and I don't think you'll end up on the winning side of whatever conflict it is, so you should just stop trying." The pair had entered a room with a lot of cots in it.

"I'm not trying, I'm being a friend who's there for her." Luka stated.

"Uh huh." Nadia stated as she swung him around, as he was about to grab a cot and pushed him back on it before climbing on top of him. She started to caress his face and run her fingers through his hair. He looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment but didn't move to stop her. "Think about it Luka, if I win this competition, I'll be moving here permanently. You and I could be a thing, a real thing, not that weird will she or wont she you have with Marinette." The microphones barely picked up her next whispered words. "I'm not afraid to commit to a relationship." Then her lips were on his as she started to kiss him. As the camera pulled back Nadia started to make out with Luka.

"What they hell is he doing?" Adrien asked. For once Kagami didn't have anything to add. What they hell was Luka doing? She tried desperately to come up with an explanation for it. When the scene cut to the whole musical beds moment in the room with Marinette, Juleka and Luka, neither Adrien nor Kagami laughed at it. Had it not been for Luka's behavior earlier, they would have found the whole situation funnier. Then came time for their dance.

"Shall we dance?" Luka asked Marinette as he leaned in to speak with her. They danced together to a slow song.

"You seem a little distracted. Is everything okay?" Marinette questioned as she pulled away from him a little.

"It's nothing to bother you with right now. You've got so much more to deal with then I do." He replied with a charming smile. Marinette didn't seem to buy it.

"You've been there for me Luka, I want to be there for you too." She stated and he gave her a smile.

"Trust me, its not something you need to think about right now, maybe when you're done filming the show." He replied.

"Lets switch partners." Nadia's voice could be heard and a moment later she was dancing with Luka. The camera mostly focused on Nadia's rather happy expression during the dance. Marinette looked a little annoyed at having to dance with Nadia's male model.

"To be honest, I'm surprised Marinette is as good at dancing as she is." Kagami commented as she watched.

"I'm not, I've danced with her before." Adrien replied. Kagami couldn't' believe what she'd heard.

"What kind of dance?" She asked.

"A slow dance. Actually it was to the same song she danced with Luka to." He sounded a little annoyed to Kagami, but she could have been imaging it. "It was weird though, because Alya came by and repositioned us so were closer together."

"Oh, really?" She asked, her teeth slightly gritted.

"Yeah. Like I said it was weird, dancing with a friend like that, but I went with it and had fun."

"Lets switch again." Marinette said on the screen as she grabbed and started to dance with Nadia. "Were you hitting on Luka?"

"Is that what he said?" Nadia replied sounding a little smug

"No. I just noticed his reaction to dancing with you."

"I see, and if I was?" Whatever Marinette was about to say was lost as the dance ended and Nadia dipped her and gave her a little kiss.

"How did your dance go?" Luka asked when Marinette joined him and Juleka.

"It went fine, I told Nadia to stop hitting on you."

"What?" He asked and Marinette shrugged The camera focused on Luka a moment as Marinette's voice played over it.

"I saw your face. I figured she must have been hitting on you." Then the show went to focus on other dancers.

"That was so awful." Kagami stated. "I do not know who to feel bad for. Luka was being a, jerk and Marinette, I did not know she was so possessive." She replied and then frowned. No actually she wasn't surprised. Marinette had been willing to loose the scavenger hunt just to keep Kagami away from Adrien, so when she thought about it, it actually did seem very much like something Marinette would do.

"I can see where Marinette is coming from." Adrien remarked. Kagami looked to him for an explanation but he didn't give her one. They continued to watch as the outfits were shown.

"Marinette's is not up to her usual creativity." Kagami said.

"It's not a bad idea though." Adrien countered. He always seemed ready to take her side in an argument. Then Clara Nightingale came on the screen as a guest judge. "Oh no, please don't say it." Adrien whispered. Kagami looked at him questioningly.

"I'm so happy to be here and thank you for all of your cheer." Clara sang as she danced to the stage. "I'm so glad this opportunity arose, so I could look at all of your clothes. I do hope you approve of my assessments as I look over the designs of the contestants" Adrien looked a little relieved as Clara went on and then she sang. "By what magic do my eyes see, is that Marinette, can it be?" Adrien palmed his face.

"She remembers her." Adrien groaned. Kagami knew her mouth was hanging open but she couldn't close it. **_Marinette knows Clara Nightingale? And Adrien knows, Marinette knows Clara Nightingale._** Kagami listened to the explanation from the screen rather then ask Adrien about it.

"This does not look good for Marinette either." Kagami whispered and Adrien nodded in agreement. Then it looked like there was about to be a fight in the audience. Kagami couldn't believe at the end when Marinette had gotten first place. Adrien might have liked the design, but she didn't think it fit the theme.**_ Marinette really does have an advantage because of the judges. She should not have won this round. _**Adrien went right to his computer to order the outfits from the show. Kagami decided this time she'd pass on it. Before she left she had some bad news for Adrien too.

"I won't be able to watch the final episode with you." She said.

"Why not?" He asked.

"My mother has a business trip to Spain planned that week. She wants me to accompany her to learn more about our family business."

"Oh, that's terrible. I have more fun watching with you then without." He stated.

"I do as well." She replied. "And I was looking forward to seeing how they did the live judging."

"What do you mean?"

"The last episode will have the judging done live." She explained.

"It's not live now?" He asked clearly confused.

"No Adrien, it is not." He seemed to think about it a moment before a look of understanding crossed his face. Kagami sighed and headed towards the door. "Are you going to see me out?" She asked.

"Of course." He replied and took her out to the car her mother had sent over for her. Kagami gave Adrien a quick kiss on the cheek before getting into the car and telling it she was ready to go home.

* * *

**CONFESSIONALS**

* * *

**NADIA**

That is pure b^&&$#!%. The whole judge thing, fine whatever, but the G #&^$* superheroes too? I get it. She's been rescued by him, whatever. I don't know how often she's been attacked by bad guys, but making out with him! She does that S#!% after having the nerve to tell me to leave Luka alone. That hypocritical little s^ !.

**AIDEN**

I was the one who caught them and recorded them. I was so excited when I saw one of Paris's superheroes show up here, but then she ran to him like she knew him. I couldn't believe she'd kissed him like that. I feel sorry for Luka. He really does have terrible taste in women. This also proves that the guest judges are voting for her not her designs. That fat guy obviously doesn't like Cat Noir, so there is no way he gave her high marks on her designs.

**MARINETTE**

It was just a spur of the moment thing. I don't even remember it being that long of a kiss. He didn't even kiss me back, I swear. He just comforted me when I was upset.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**NOTES:**

* * *

Did anybody catch the edits in the episode that Adrien and Kagami watched? Just curious. Also if I had written the part where the kiss had been played from Marinette's POV, I would have had her be surprised at how long the kiss had lasted, hinting at the possibility that the video editors had looped the footage to extend it.

**TYPOS**

"What did Marinette say when you **toddler **her?"

"What did Marinette say when you** told** her?"

I thought about going through Astuc's twitter for quotes to use, but one, I don't have a twitter account, I think it's a horrible place, two, I felt that might come off as a little too mean, and three, I didn't want to use the time.

Not even going to mention this chapter's personal tragedy but this has been a rough year.

**PEACE AND LOVE!**

**Remember, reviews help fuel the creative process.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Gabriel's Obsession**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

**GABRIEL**

* * *

Gabriel Agreste was not known for his whimsical nature. So it surprised even him when it came time to judge the contestants when he decided to switch the positions of Nadia and Aiden. Everett was going to lose no matter what. His pandering designs weren't even very good. Although Aiden's designs were well done, they were still of the local super villain. Even if Gabriel considered himself to be the hero of his story, he knew that he was in truth the super villain. Still, he couldn't help himself. He decided on a whim to have Aiden win instead of Nadia. Even with the low score Astruc gave Marinette, she still made it into second place on her own.

However, Marinette wasn't supposed to have any connection to that Astruc person, which meant Nathalie had missed a connection. Not that it mattered, it worked out in their favor anyway. What had been more interesting was the kiss Marinette gave to Cat Noir. He remembered when he'd akumatized her father to go after Cat Noir for breaking her heart, but neither he nor Nathalie had realized she still had feelings for the hero. Nathalie had been too focused on Marinette's obsession with his son to notice. However, it did give him a number of important details. The first one being that at the very least Cat Noir was watching the show. That meant it would be easy to draw the heroes to the studio when the time came. The second came after Nathalie had sent him the entire clip of the interaction between Cat Noir and Marinette. He'd called her Multimouse. She had been a Miraculous user.

Gabriel thought back to Kwami Buster. He'd remember seeing the miniature fighters at the time. They must have been Multimouse. But why hadn't Marinette come when Miracle Queen had called? Had she been missed when the wasps had attacked everyone? That was pretty likely since he doubted the Bourgeois girl had managed to get all of the millions of people in Paris. Then again, Cat Noir knew she was Multimouse, meaning that he'd found out at some point. He knew that when the Tsurugi girl had used the Dragon Miraculous openly, Ladybug hadn't wanted to use her again, just as she always avoided going to the Bourgeois girl. He'd assumed it was because he knew their identities, but could it be anyone knowing? Had Cat Noir knowing kept Ladybug from using someone again. He laughed a bitter laugh.

"How can I keep losing to them when she doesn't even trust him?" He asked aloud. He wasn't normally a violent man but in that moment, he wanted to punch something.

* * *

**JULEKA**

* * *

"What's wrong, Juleka?" Rose asked as they sat together eating their ice cream.

"Nothing." Juleka huffed.

"You know you can tell me." Rose insisted.

"Actually, I can't, not until it airs on TV." Juleka replied.

"Oh, it's a problem on the show?" Juleka nodded.

"A couple of them actually." She admitted. "I don't think things will be the same afterwards." Rose's eyes went wide, which juleka honestly feared they would fall out. "I don't think I'll be able to remain friends with Marinette when this is all over."

"What happened?" Rose cried out in surprise.

"I can't talk about it yet." Juleka sighed. "Not with anyone outside of the show."

"So then you've been talking to Luka about it?" She asked. Juleka shook her head.

"That's the other problem, and I don't know how to talk to him about that problem. He just doesn't understand." Rose looked confused for a moment, but then understanding crossed her features.

"Does it have to do with him and the Nadia girl Marinette is friends with?" Now it was Juleka's turn to be surprised.

"You know about that?" She asked. Juleka hadn't actually been watching the last few episodes of the show. She honestly didn't want to see herself on TV after the novelty wore off when the second episode aired.

"Of course. I always watch since you Marinette and Luka are on it." Rose admitted. "I was stunned when Luka was making out with Nadia. I thought he was only interested in Marinette."

"What?" Juleka asked surprised. "That's not what happened." She paused a moment. "Well, not exactly what happened."

"Huh?" Rose asked in typical Rose form.

"Luka told me Nadia forced herself on him."

"That's not possible. Girls don't do that kind of thing." Juleka frowned at Rose's words and how they echoed Luka's own.

"That's what Luka said after describing it." Juleka growled. Rose looked concerned.

"So what's the problem then, if he says it's not?" Rose asked. Juleka felt irritated that no one saw the connection, or that they refused to see the connection. According to Luka, he did not want to partake in Ndia's advances, although now she wanted to see what happened on the show. Had her brother wanted it and just didn't want to admit it? She frowned again. Frowning had become her standard expression lately.

"I need to watch the episode." She said at last ignoring Rose's question.

* * *

**ALYA**

* * *

With the kwami's out of the bag, so to speak, Alya had allowed Chloe to join them for their own little former miraculous users meeting. They may have become a little paranoid due to another incident however, so Max and Markov had put together a device to help them look for bugs whenever they would talk. The incident that had forced this upon them, was when they'd found some burn marks at the space Chloe had reserved for her PTAS meetings. Upon a closer inspection they'd located some melted plastic and electronic components. The meaning seemed pretty clear; the sessions had been bugged. They assumed it was Hawk Moth who did it, since he'd destroyed Chloe's "Moth Phone" and it was likely because of them speaking so opening in the room. Although they only found a couple of scorched cameras, based on a lens surviving, they weren't sure if their were others. Max and Markov could use the same device to scan there, but it wouldn't be as practical because of the size of the space and the public access since they'd have to do it every time. It was easier to just do it at one of their homes when they got together. Leave all the miraculous talks to the more private area and the PTAS talks to the more public.

"So DJ Ner, erm, Nino was Carapace then?" Chloe asked.

"Yes." Alya replied.

"And Princess Pretentious was Ryuko?" Chloe also asked without censoring herself this time. Alya had to bite her own lip to keep from laughing. It wasn't the first thing that came to mind when she thought of Kagami, but she couldn't deny that it fit her. Even Luka seemed to be a little hard pressed not to laugh at the comment, although no one else really had much interaction with Kagami.

"That was a little mean, but it seems so, although she'd never confirmed it, or come to our meetings." Alya replied once she got control of herself.

"You still knew who I was talking about though." Chloe smiled like she'd won a victory.

"Eep." Was what Alya said at the comment. "Okay, she does come off that way."

"So what plans do we have in the works for dealing with Hawk Moth?" Max asked.

"Couldn't we just double check for bugs at the PTAS meeting and try tracking the signal?" Kim asked. "Like we talked about with the phone?"

"I believe that would still be an option." Max remarked. "It would take time to scan the room as the range of the equipment we were able to put together was not very high. I've made some adjustments based on what we salvaged from the bugs, but I was unable to determine any frequencies used. It appeared that they were designed specifically to be useless to anyone examining them for information. Had the one lens not survived I would not have been able to even determine that the one at least was a camera."

"Then we should go in early and do that." Alya said as the decided to do what they'd felt was impractical earlier. She was still upset with Chloe for her betrayal of them all, and the even more extensive support to Hawk Moth, but she was hoping they might be able to figure out his identity because of her. She laughed a little as she thought about her promise to kiss Chloe if they caught him. Chloe might be less inclined to help if she'd been serious about it.

"Looks like we have a plan." Luka stated and that's what they did. About an hour before the next PTAS meeting was to start, the group met together and went inside. Since the scanning device worked with Markov, there wasn't actually anything for the rest to do except to just look around themselves. Unfortunately none of them found anything, including Markov.

"So does that mean it's a bust?" Kim asked as he appeared to be picking his nose.

"The data is technically inconclusive. " Max stated. "The truth is, just because we did not locate any bugging devices does not mean there are none."

"What, then why did we go through all of this Robonerd." Chloe asked annoyed. Max seemed to take no offense at her nickname for him, in fact he smiled a little.

"The scanner I developed with Markov is only about ninety-nine point three percent accurate. There is still about a point seven percent chance that there is a bug in this room." Chloe's expression went blank.

"He's saying that there is virtually no chance there is a bug, that it's a near impossibility that one could still be here." Luka explained to her. Chloe's expression brightened a little, although Alya suspected it had more to do with the person translating for her then in the information itself.

"So we don't really have anything to fear from Hawk Moth?" She asked.

"Nope. We should be good here, at least today." **_Or maybe Chloe did actually brighten because of the information_**. Alya thought for sure the blonde wouldn't understand it.

* * *

**MARINETTE**

* * *

She really wanted to go home now. Everything had fallen apart. The one person who had been talking to her stopped. It had only been a couple of days, and Marinette felt so very alone. She'd thought it was bad before, but it was so much worse now. Now with only three contestants left, they were being monitored even closer, so her one reprieve of speaking with Tikki and Kaalki had been taken away by default.

Marinette spent most of her time sitting in front of the large TV, playing her favorite video game, getting extra brutal against the computer controlled enemies as a stress reliever. If nothing else, she was getting better at the game. Nadia and Aiden sat at the table talking while eating their lunch. They didn't mention her at all as they spoke in normal tones, which in a room that size allowed Marinette to hear them clearly even over her game. Apparently she didn't even rate negative talk anymore. That somehow made things worse. She had no way to get in on the conversation, at least not that she could see. She did another brutal take down of an enemy and started the next round.

"Good morning everyone." One of the staff members stated as he entered the room. It was the same guy who had allowed Marinette to have her secret spot for so long. She smiled at him, even though she knew he wasn't supposed to really interact with anyone. "I have some mail for all of you." He explained holding three high quality envelopes. The contestants all walked over to him, Nadia, Aiden and Marinette each received one. "I'm sorry to see you all alone. I wish I could do something for you." He whispered to her as he handed her envelope over last. "You remind me of my little sister." She smiled again.

"Thank you, I appreciate the thought." She replied and moved back to the couch to look at it.

"Is this for real?" She heard Aiden ask from behind her. Marinette opened her envelope.

"It's probably just for the next theme." Nadia replied. Marinette pulled out the high quality linen paper, with the lace border along the edges. In gold lettering were the words – You are cordially invited to the union of the Alec Cataldi and Nathalie Sancoeur." It also gave the time and place, which was of course that evening.

"No way they would have a wedding this fast." Marinette stated but was ignored.

"So what are you going to wear?" Nadia asked Aiden.

"I don't know. I didn't really bring anything for a formal event. Marinette noticed the crewmember was still waiting at the door. She got back up and walked over to him while glancing at the other two. They were still ignoring her.

"Is there a place to pick out clothes?" She asked in a whisper. He nodded and whispered the location to her giving her a wink. **_If they're going to ignore me, then there is no reason for me to try and help them,_** Marinette thought a little coldly. She left the room and went to the place the crewmember pointed out to her. She opened the door to a room filled with dresses, shoes and accessories. She grinned. Shopping was a way to get over, at least temporarily, her troubles and shopping without having to pay was even better. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep anything she grabbed, but who cared. She rushed through the room looking at everything.

Hours later Marinette got dressed in her room. She hadn't seen Nadia or Aiden at all while she was picking out clothes. Had they not gone too? Maybe they had a different spot for each of them, although the sizes of the clothing had all been different, so Marinette doubled they would have done that if they didn't expect all three to pick from the same selection. Then again with how they were ignoring her, maybe they just waited until she was done, since they weren't in the contestant quarters when she returned. Marinette got dressed in a simple black A-line dress, tan pantyhose and black mid height heels. She went with a subtle make-up style, even though there was no way it was a real wedding, she didn't want to go wild. She left her hair down but styled it in waves, similar to the way Alya's hair looked.

When she left her room, she noted that Nadia's and Aiden's doors were both closed, so they were probably getting ready as well. She thought about waiting for them, but in the end Marinette didn't feel like it. They'd probably just ignore her anyway. She didn't make it very far before she heard their doors open and the clicking noise from their heels reached her ears. She sped up a little, but they were faster and caught up and passed her.

"You think they'll throw us for a loop?" Nadia asked Aiden as she passed.

"No way, we have three weeks before the final judging, and doing wedding wear seems like a logical choice for that time. I am really excited to see the dress Gabriel designed for Nathalie. Did you know that he hasn't designed a wedding dress since he married his wife?"

"Really?" Nadia asked. Marinette wanted to chime in but kept her mouth shut. Once they entered into the studio area, a stagehand greeted them and showed them to their seats. The studio had been set up to look like a wedding venue, with a bunch of high quality white folding chairs laid out in two sections with the aisle down the middle. Standing up front was Alec in a nice tuxedo and Marinette had to do a double take at the officiator. It appeared to be a mannequin with a monitor for a head. A moment after they were seated, together and up front of course, the monitor turned on and the face of Gabriel Agreste appeared. Music began to play and everyone turned back to see Nathalie standing in the doorway.

* * *

**NATHALIE**

* * *

This was the outfit Gabriel had cheated on. With his other designs over all, he'd wanted to do his designs in the same amount of time as he was giving the contestants, but not this one. It really was the first wedding dress he'd designed since he and Emilie had gotten married, so he wanted it to be spectacular. Nathalie had never been one of those girls who dreamed of her wedding day. When she was younger, she mostly didn't care about relationships in general, at least not until she'd met Gabriel. He was the first person she could see herself with. That being said, she'd been surprised when he'd asked her about what she would want in a wedding gown. It was another occasion when she thought she would die on the spot because of her heart skipping a few beats then running hardcore to catch up with what it missed.

Gabriel gave her time to think about it. She looked at different wedding dresses online and discussed it with him. In truth, the idea of Gabriel designing a wedding dress specifically for her had raised her spirits to the highest of heights. She would probably never use it, unless he gave up on Emilie, and even then it was questionable. She did not give herself false hope that she could win his love just because Emilie was hypothetically out of the picture. Even so, it was a wedding dress for her designed by the man she loved and she was thrilled. Gabriel described the things he could do and improvements to the ideas she had. It felt truly like a collaboration, even more so then he'd done with Emilie all those years prior.

He'd decided to do the wedding theme for the final since they knew there would be three weeks for the contestants to work, and wanted a special project for that time as a test, even though he'd started his design the week he'd decided to do the show. Gabriel had done an amazing job on the dress as far as Nathalie was concerned. It really was the wedding dress she never knew she wanted. She smiled when she saw the reactions of those in attendance for her "wedding" to Alec. She stood tall and proud in her mermaid style wedding dress, with it's skirt hugging her legs to her knees, where it opened with a slit in the front showing off her lace stockings as she took her steps forward in her high stiletto heeled, strappy sandals. The waist came in giving her an hourglass figure she did not normally show off. The top of the dress curved at her breasts and had a deep "V" that traveled all the way past her bellybutton. The open area was covered by a sheer white fabric, which went all the way to her neck, appearing much like a halter top. The non-sheer parts of the dress had a lace overlay sewn in, with small iridescent beads.

Nathalie's arms were covered with a detached sleeve of the same fabric style as the main dress, which ended at mid upper arm at the top, and in a triangle at the back of her hand, with a little elastic circling to her middle finger to hold it in place. Most of her make-up was done to enhance her natural beauty, her eyelashes were extra long, but not out of place, and her lips were coated in a bright red. A sheer white veil, with a lace border, the same lace that had been used for the dress, covered her head and trailed behind her like a long tail as she walked slowly down the isle, her hands in front of her holding a bouquet with an assortment of white flowers.

Yes, she loved the looks she was getting from everyone because of her wedding dress and her slow walk had nothing to do with any impediment of her movement as some likely suspected but simply because of those adoring eyes upon her. She'd enjoyed the attention she'd received being one of the hosts and getting to wear new Gabriel designs, but this, this was so much more special. It was the adoration of a Gabriel design inspired from her own wishes. Once she reached the alter which had been erected on the stage, Alec turned to lift the front of the veil and settle it behind with the rest of it since she did not have anyone walking her down the isle.

"We are gathered here today, to announce the next theme in our contest." Gabriel's monitor announced. As he spoke Nathalie fantasized about Gabriel being across from her instead of Alec.

"Um Nathalie?" Alec asked. She'd been so lost in her thoughts she forgotten what was actually going on.

"I do." She replied. Alec and Gabriel's face on the monitor turned to look at her. She blinked and felt her checks flush with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I got too caught up in the dress." She admitted. Gabriel laughed a little and smiled.

"That's fine. I'm glad my design has had such an effect on you." He stated. She fawned, er, smiled back at him before turning to the "guests".

"A wedding dress for many is going to be a once in a lifetime fashion to wear, or at least that's really the hope many brides-to-be have. " She started getting herself back on script. There was a little laughter from the crowd from the joke.

"Although there are many who do an excellent job and specialize in wedding dresses, you may be asked one day to design one, so I want to give you that opportunity to do so now." Gabriel added.

"You will have until the morning of the last judging to come up with your designs." Alec continued. "However it won't be as easy as just designing and making the dress, you will also need to make a tuxedo and a bridesmaid dress."

"We will have mannequins available for the additional designs." Nathalie stated as a look of confusions passed over the three contestants.

"You can design and make as many as you have the ability to." Gabriel explained. "The requirement is one of each, but you can to as many of any of them afterwards. The judging will be mostly on the main set however. Do not neglect the quality of that design in order to increase your quantity."

"There will be people to help with embroidery and other embellishments. Gabriel does not want to hinder your creativity in this design at all. Your time will start when someone catches the bouquet." Alec said as Nathalie turned away from them and tossed it over her arm. The move was quick to keep the three contestants off balance, however she made note of where Marinette was sitting. She turned back in time to see that she'd aim perfectly and that Marinette had caught the bouquet. The looks of irritation and even anger on Aiden and Nadia's faces were priceless and exactly what she'd been hoping for.

* * *

**MARINETTE 2**

* * *

She hadn't really been all that interested in catching the bouquet, mostly because she was certain it would lead to even more animosity with Nadia and also Aiden, not that Marinette was as concerned about Aiden anymore. Nadia had stuck by her for so long that it really did hurt to have her ignore her like this. She really did wish Nadia would just get mad at her and have it out, and then maybe they could heal.

Nadia and Aiden did ignore her after they had missed the bouquet and went off together. Marinette knew they wouldn't work together on their designs, but it still annoyed her that they were making such a show of excluding her. Once again she felt the need to calm herself down. She knew she could not allow herself to be akumatized and even though she was positive they were outside of Hawk Moth's range, she knew it would be a slippery slope to give in to her anger. As much as she wanted to go home, she was in the final three now, and their attitude towards her, made her want to win again.

Marinette pulled a chair from around the table in the contestant quarters and dragged it out onto the balcony in front of her room and sat down with her sketchpad. It was at the moment that she realized she had no idea what she wanted to do for a wedding dress. She'd certainly spent more then enough time daydreaming about being a bride, mostly Adrien's, but she never really thought about her actual wedding dress. Every time she thought about it, it was a different design. Marinette wasn't sure what to do. She just stared at the blank paper and the end of her pencil.

In the case of the wedding dress, Marinette tried to think about what she really wanted herself. She figured it was the best way to come up with a design, but she just couldn't do it. She realized part of her problem was her mother. Not like a horrible mother problem, just that her mom had also been hoping she would consider going with a traditional Chinese wedding dress. Her mother had gotten married in a western style dress years ago. Sabine had dreamed of her wedding day and had loved both styles ever since she'd been a little girl, but in the end, she chose the western style because her and Tom had married in France. She loved her dress, but she still slightly regretted not going more traditional.

Marinette started working on her design. A traditional Chinese style dress using the wishes her mother had described to her as the basis. She'd make it a little more modern, but still very obviously Chinese. With that Marinette started to sketch furiously.

* * *

**KAGAMI**

* * *

"Who do you think would be better for Luka, Marinette or Nadia?" Kagami asked as they watched the two having the discussion about the boy on the television. Adrian ended up with a thoughtful look on his face, a look that Kagami found very attractive.

"It's really hard to compare the two." He stated at last. "I know Marinette but I don't know anything about Nadia except what we've been shown. Marinette hasn't been shown the greatest light either, almost like they're trying to make her out to be a villain. I don't think it's fair to try and decide." He explained. "Although I am certain Luka does like Marinette, and I thought she liked him too, but their relationship is so confusing."

"I understand." Kagami did notice that the show did portray Marinette more negatively then the others, but she had seen Marinette be devious before so it wasn't as cut and dry for her. Overall she thought Marinette was a decent person, but Adrien was correct about not really knowing Nadia. That girl was extremely confusing, especially when she did things like kiss Marinette's forehead like a family member would. Someone else's family member, her own mother would never do such a thing. "I would say it depends on what Luka is looking for in a relationship."

"Huh?" Adrian asked.

"It does seem to be true that Marinette is unclear about how she feels towards Luka. She came close to kissing him last week, but has not show that kind of affection since. Nadia however has shown that she is very willing to give him affectionate attention."

"I didn't really think about it that way." Adrien was once more distracted by the TV. "Alec and Nathalie are fighting? What happened?" Adrien asked as they continued to watch. "Wow." He added when he saw how Alec and Nathalie were fighting.

"Their choreography is well done." Kagami added.

"I like that they didn't try to add additional special effects in editing." Kagami gave a curt nod as they watched the selection process. She really wanted to use that as an opportunity to get closer to Adrien by claiming she did not know any of those creatures, however they'd watched enough fantasy anime and movies he'd never believe her. **_Then again_**, she mused, **_this is Adrien, he is pretty oblivious. It might work._**

"I kind of wish they would show us the special effects process." Adrien said as the show went on. Kagami let her thought of tricking him go. "I think it's really interesting when they do make-up like that."

"We could always look it up online and try it." Kagami suggested as a joke, although one would not really be able to tell by her tone of voice.

"Maybe we should." Adrien's eyes practically sparkled when he said that. Kagami didn't reply. She wasn't really excited at that possibility, but instead noticed the designs Marinette was working on. "She is going in a much different direction then everyone else is."

"Wow, you're right. She's doing a futuristic thing. I wonder how it will turn out."

"But is that not that wrong? The theme is fantasy."

"Well Alec did say Sci-Fi Fantasy." Adrien commented at the same time Marinette replied "When Alec specified Sci-Fi Fantasy, I thought the Sci-Fi part would be good to play with", on the screen Adrien laughed at that. "I guess great minds think alike."

"I am so happy to hear that." Kagami remarked in a tone more devoid of emotion then her usual tone. They watched as Nathalie and Alec discussed the costumes and the practicality for those who would purchase them.

"I had not thought of that." Kagami admitted. "Would these be of any use to someone who purchased them?"

"Halloween maybe." Adrien suggested. Kagami knew Adrien would purchase them no matter what, but she was a little less enthused about following suit. She still wanted to support Marinette over the other contestants, but she had to admit, the way Marinette was being portrayed on the show made her less willing to. In her mind, she knew it was mostly the way things were edited, but her heart was more closely following the narrative created by the media.

"Your father seems to like her designs." Kagami noted as they continued to watch.

"That's good. Some of the others are really nice too, although that one guy's designs are going to give me nightmares." Kagami nodded in agreement. She did want Marinette to win since they were friends, but still. . .

"Oh my God, that explains it." Adrien stated a little excitedly when he saw Mr. Banana on stage. Kagami's confusion must have been obvious, since Adrien tried to explain. "The Mr. Banana costume. I remember seeing someone in a banana costume riding a scooter around the city a while ago. I thought I was imagining it."

"It would be an odd thing to see." She agreed. Was this the first time Adrien saw Mr. Banana? She knew about the character. **_Or maybe it did not occurred to him until just then, but why are his cheeks red? Is he embarrassed about it?_**

"I can't believe she's in the bottom two." Adrien exclaimed in reference to Marinette.

"It does not surprise me." Kagami countered. "She did not properly follow the theme."

"But she did really. She just when with the Sci-Fi part of it." Adrien argued. **_Of course he would defend her,_** Kagamai thought a little bitterly. **_I wonder if he would defend me like this if something happened? _**She knew the last thought was a little unfair. Adrien would defend all his friends.

"Do you think the studio is out of Hawk Moth's range?" Adrien asked after the sword tossed by Bobby fell rather limply to the ground and he was restrained.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Look at that guy, he'd be a perfect candidate to be akumatized, but there's not sign of an akuma. There have been other incidents on the show as well. I wonder if they are too far away for Hawk Moth to do anything."

"That would seem to be a logical conclusion." The two of them went silent when they heard the comment that was picked up on Aiden's mic., "_Wow, look how well Marinette does when she doesn't have an in with the judges_." They were both surprised to see the tears in Marinette's eyes as she ran off the stage. "_What a sore loser._" Aiden had stated just before the show ended.

"I don't think she was crying because she almost lost." Adrien stated. Kagami wasn't as sure as Adrien was, but nodded in agreement anyway.

* * *

**WEEK 2**

* * *

**MARINETTE 3**

* * *

It was strange not being given a new task or theme come the next week. She'd been so use to having to get her designs ready in only a handful of days she'd already finished her Semi-Traditional Chinese style wedding party designs. She loved the way they had turned out, but she realized she didn't want Juleka to model them. Not because she didn't think Juleka would look good in them, but because she remembered an incident not to long ago, where a cute blonde girl had worn a Cheongsam to her prom and was attacked on social media for it. It wasn't even the people of China who attacked the poor girl. They thought she looked beautiful. It was mostly Europeans and Americans who attacked. They yelled at her, media wise, for "cultural appropriation". People who want to segregate culture like that scared her. How long before they went from attacking multicultural things and started attacking multicultural people, like herself? She could defend herself as Ladybug, but being a superhero was a rare thing and not too many other mixed cultures people had that perk.

Even though she as the designer was part Chinese, Juleka was not, and she did not want those segregationist bigots attacking her friend. She would either wear it herself or put it on a mannequin when the time came, although she had to wonder if she'd be attacked since she was only half Chinese. Seemed very possible. She was able to change the heart and mind of her own grandfather, but she knew she couldn't do that for entire continents. That left her with the problem of designing another wedding dress. She started going through her sketchbook looking at some of her designs. She still didn't know what she would want, but she thought about what Juleka had told her she dreamed off for a wedding gown. **_I should make her wedding gown_**, Marinette thought. She wasn't sure if Juleka was still mad at her about the kiss, but if she was, maybe this would help sooth that a little.

* * *

**JULEKA**

* * *

Too many things had happened recently that caused Juleka stress. The normally quiet easygoing girl was finding herself angry. Rose noticed it on their last date, but Juleka couldn't talk about it then and hadn't seen Rose since. She was angry with her brother, angry with Marinette, angry at Cat Noir and even a little angry with Rose. She did not like being angry. Sure she often did the whole cliché emo thing, but even so anger wasn't normally involved. It was mostly her being dark and moody.

For the first time, she felt very alone and isolated. She wished she had someone else to talk to. She considered her mother, but this didn't really fall into the type of category her mother was good at dealing with. If not for the contract with the show, she could have talked to Rose easily about everything as it happened. Then again, if not for the show, most if not all of her stress inducing issues would have been a problem. How did everything get so messed up in life. She was finally dating Rose. Life should have been good but all she wanted to do was cry.

* * *

**ADRIEN **

* * *

At least now he understood why Marinette asked if he was really Mr. Banana. She must have remembered Cat Noir wearing the costume back when she'd had her only outing as Multimouse. Although that must not have made much of an impression on her considering she hadn't been one of the Miraculous users who came when Chloe had been called. Considering he'd been a failure as Aspik, he was betting he wouldn't have show up either. Well, at least not for the Snake Miraculous.

He was concerned about Kagami though now. She seemed like she was letting the show change her opinion about Marinette. He knew they didn't really get along well at first. Marinette seemed like she was really uncomfortable around Kagami, although in a different way then she seemed around him. Marinette was probably just worried because of how badly she'd screwed up the call during that fencing match. Of course he shouldn't have pushed her to give an answer either. Their own instructor couldn't call it earlier, why would someone who was just learning the rules be able to make a call. He'd been so dumb. He should have just told Kagami he thought she'd won the point at that point. **_No pun intended_**, he thought with a grin.

That had gotten Kagami akumatized so he could see the potential for a lot of stress in the girls' friendship over it. He couldn't help but think it was his fault upon reflection. Yeah, he should have said something then. Adrien didn't want to see Kagami and Marinette's friendship break apart since Marinette was the only other person Kagami's mom let her spend time with. Kagami needed to chance to go out more on her own. It was one of the reason Adrien spent as much time with her, to let her get out and meet other people, although that part hadn't worked out as well as he'd hoped either. It always seemed like they missed their previous chances to hang out with his other friends from school.

"..drien." He heard. He shook himself out of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked.

"We have been sitting her for over a minute. Your bodyguard looks a little silly holding open the door." Kagami stated.

"Oh, wow, I am so sorry." He replied, feeling his embarrassment rise on his cheeks. Kagami let out a little laugh and smiled.

"It is fine as long as you were deep in thought thinking about me." She replied.

"I was actually." He smiled back at her. To his surprise, she actually blushed a little.

"I am glad." She whispered as he exited the car and held his hand out to her to help her out. The Gorilla handed Adrien a basket from the trunk of the car.

"I'll call you when we're ready." The Gorilla looked at him. "Seriously, we're just going to be with my classmates. You don't need to watch, we'll be fine." Then he whispered. "I hear the toy store a couple streets away received a shipment of new action figures." The Gorilla perked up and nodded to Adrien before getting back in the car.

"Yo, my man Adrien, good to see you." Nino's voice called from across the park. "Looking fine Kagami." He added. Kagami looked a little nervous.

"It'll be fine." Adrien whispered to her.

"Kagami!" Rose yelled and ran up to her and gave her a hug. Kagami looked uncomfortable for a brief moment but hugged Rose back. Adrien knew Rose was friendly overall, but this seemed surprising to him.

"Rose, I am very glad you are here." She replied and even petted Rose's head a little. Rose smiled and grabbed Kagami's hand to drag her over to the table they'd set up.

"Well, that just happened." Adrien said softly to himself and joined the others. Most of his classmates were there, including to his surprise, Chloe. Even more surprising she was sitting next to Alya of all people. **_Did I fall into another dimension_**, he wondered looking at them. He realized that almost all the former miraculous users were in attendance, except for Luka. Juleka wasn't there either. He figured their absence must have been due to their commitments to the show they were on with Marinette.

He watched as Rose started to introduce Kagami to everyone else. He was glad to see Kagami more at ease. **_Did Rose always have that effect on people?_** HE honestly would have expected Kagami to be even more nervous around someone like Rose who was so much more of an extravert then pretty much anyone else he knew. Not that he knew that many people.

When Rose eventually finished her rounds with Kagami, Kagami was standing near Alya and Chloe. The three of them were having a quiet yet heated discussion. Kagami looked angry at Chloe. **_Wait, are they talking about the Miraculouses?_** He wondered. He started to walk that way but Nino threw an arm over his shoulder and turned him towards the other boys from class. He never got a chance to hear any of the discussion between the three girls.

* * *

**KAGAMI 2**

* * *

The day had almost been ruined when she spoke with Alya Cersaire, almost. Alya was being a little too aggressive with trying to get her to join her miraculous group. Admittedly Kagami did want to, although not because she could no longer use the Miraculous because of Chloe, she'd already knew her time as Rouko was limited when she let out who she was when she fought her mother. No, it was because she liked the idea of have others to talk to about having been a hero for a brief time. She didn't know about the animosity that had been between Alya and Chloe previously, so it hadn't crossed her mind to find them being together so strange.

"You seem to be getting a little upset." Kagami noted. "You may wish to calm down and avoid possible akumatization." Alya just stared at her a moment, but Chloe was trying to hide a smile. Alya took a couple of breaths and signed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off like that." She stated.

"I understand. If I could get away to spend time with the rest of you more often, I would be willing to do so. My mother does not like me just going out like that. She is very strict with my schedule."

"Oh, I didn't realize that." Alya remarked sadly. Kagami nodded.

"Why don't you just let Adri-kins cover for you." Chloe suggested. "Obviously your mother wants you spending time with him." Although the suggestion was good there was also obvious resentment in the last part of her statement.

"Perhaps that would work." Kagami seemed to think I over. "The problem with that is, I would loose my time with Adrien and we are meant to be together." A pair of unusual expressions crossed over the faces of Alya and Chloe when she made that statement. She ignored the looks as she thought it over. Adrien walked over.

"How are things going?" He asked sounding slightly concerned.

"Things are fine. I have been invited to a girl's event , but I can not go because of my mother's restrictions." Kagami explained.

"Oh, really." Adrien sounded surprised. "When is it? We could always tell her you're with me." He suggested. Alya looked surprised and Chloe just smirked a little.

"Oh, it's the day after tomorrow." Alya stated.

"That would be perfect then, we're already getting together to watch the show, I can have you picked up earlier and you can spend time with Alya and Chloe." He stated. "Then I can go hang out with Nino for a while. Alya's smile shifted a little but returned.

"I'm sure Nino will love that." Alya stated.

"That is wonderful." Kagami said with one of her terrifying smiles. The others all flinched at it. She really needed to work on smiling.

* * *

**ALYA 2**

* * *

She was strangely nervous. Alya hadn't expected to be nervous just because Kagami would be showing up at her home for the Miraculous club meeting. She'd had Luka, Max and Kim all hide in the twin's room only allowing Nino to be present. It was supposed to be a girl's day, according to Kagami, so only her and Chloe would be present as the only girls in the group.

"I have to give her credit for her quick lie." Chloe stated as she sat on one of the kitchen chairs with her legs crossed, foot swinging up and down. "But really, does she think that's going to help her with Adri-kins?"

"What other excuse should she have come up with?" Alya asked, but she'd been surprised by the quick lie herself. **_Isn't her culture supposed to be about honor or something? Is lying considered honorable? _**Alya was aware that some of her attitude towards Kagami came from the rivalry between her and Marinette. Even if Marinette had become friends with her, Alya was still having a hard time switching gears. She was also aware that some of her animosity came from Kagami's refusal to join earlier. It was a little petty to feel that way, especially after learning the girl's reason, but still it persisted. When the knock came to the door, Alya nearly tripped over her own feet in a rush to answer it.

"Good Morning." She smiled.

"Good Morning." Kagami replied with a slight bow.

"Hi." Adrien stated.

"My dude." Nino remarked holding out a fist. Adrien bumped fists with him.

"Thank you for bringing me, Adrien." Kagami stated before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Adrien smiled.

"My pleasure." He replied as Nino dragged him from the apartment. Once Adrien was gone, Alya offered Kagami a seat, which she took just as Max, Kim and Luka came out of hiding. Kagami greeted them all by name. They started to talk about their experiences as superheroes. Chloe didn't say anything, but Kagami did speak up.

"The first time I was Ryuko was supposed to be my last." She stated. "I revealed myself to my akumatized mother and Hawk Moth. I was disappointed, but I was also thrilled that I was able to have the opportunity. It came as a surprise when she grabbed me to do so again. Those were the only times I used a Miraculous." Alya glanced at Chloe who seemed to be seething a little at the mention of the second appearance of Ryuko. It made sense since that was the time her parents had been akumatized together. **_Why did Ladybug choose Kagami instead of Chloe that time? I know she'd told Chloe it was too dangerous to use her, but that hadn't stopped her in the past. Did Ladybug just prefer Ryuko for some reason?_**

Alya was surprised at the expression on Kagami's face. She could see just a slight curve to her lips. She was pretty sure Kagami was enjoying herself. Then again, she thought about the picnic in the park when Rose had not only hugged Kagami but introduced her around. Kagami had the same almost smile then too. It was honestly a little endearing to see. She'd always considered Kagami to be unfriendly and standoffish, but looking at her now, she felt like Kagami wanted to be friends with people.

"Your mother is the reason you don't get out more huh?" Alya asked before she realized she was speaking.

"That is correct." Kagami replied in her usual nearly emotionless way.

"We need to find a remedy for that." Alya remarked with a smile. The corners of Kagami's lips curled up a little further.

* * *

**ADRIEN 2**

* * *

"Wow." Adrien breathed as he watched the screen with Kagami, "That's so adorable." He cued.

"Yes, Marinette does make an adorable cat girl." Kagami agreed but sounded slightly annoyed too. "Although I imagine those shoes will be a problem for her."

"Huh?" Adrien asked.

"They have no heels and Marinette is not the most graceful girl around." The timing was just about perfect as Marinette had fallen while trying to chase Nadia. Kagami gasped when Marinette gave chase on all fours.

"She may be part cat." Adrien laughed as Marinette had little problem going after Nadia that way, but Nadia was still faster. Marinette stopped and sat on the ground crossing her legs.

"Giving up already?" Nadia laughed. Marinette just grinned before tearing into the buckles on the paw gloves with her teeth.

"I'll take them off, just stop chewing on them." Nadia exclaimed. Marinette looked at her and then started chewing again. Nadia rushed over and started to unbuckle the other glove.

"Thank you." Marinette said once they were off and she started undoing the shoes.

"Look at all the slobber on these." Nadia cried. "My poor gloves." Marinette rolled her eyes and Kagami couldn't help but laugh at the event.

"How come you still don't laugh like that when we're in public?

"My mother does not like public displays of any emotions." She explained. "She says doing such is a sign of feminine weakness."

"Are you serious?"

"Have you even known me to not be serious about my mother?"

"No. I'm so sorry to hear that. I think your mother might really be stricter then my father. He may get annoyed about laughing or crying in public, but he never called it a sign of weakness."

"Yes, I believe you are correct. I have been coming to the conclusion that my mother is what the Americans refer to a_ 'a hard ass'_." Just hearing Kagami say that phrase in English caused Adrien to start laughing to the point his stomach started to hurt. Eventually he stopped and they went back to watching the TV.

"Looks like Marinette went with a simple design." Adrien remarked as the contestants started the obstacle course. "But what is Nadia thinking? There is no way she's going to be able to compete in that." Kagami appeared to be in deep thought.

"She will be fine." Kagami predicted.

"Those shoes alone will be a problem."

"She is constantly wearing high heels. I am sure she is more then capable of moving in them. If everyone else thinks the same way you do, she will have an advantage."

"I didn't think about it like that." He remarked. "I just remember the times I wore some and the problems I had."

"Hmm, perhaps you should wear them more often and get use to them." She suggested and even kicked off her own shoes. "They may be a little small for you, but not too much." She grinned. Adrien narrowed his eyes at her. She started to laugh again. He really preferred it when she was happier like this and laughing. He wished everyone else could see her this way.

"Fine." He said giving in and grabbing her shoes. They were a short heel, shorter then the Reflecta ones had been.

"I want to see you walk." She said with a huge smile plastered over her face. Adrien sighed and did as told. "We will have to work on it." She laughed a little and Adrien shook his head annoyed. He sat down just in time for the race to start. It became clear very quickly that Kagami was correct in her assessment of Nadia, but even so, Kagami looked as stunned as he felt.

"Sounds like Nadia had a strict father too." Adrien commented when she explained why she was able to make it through the obstacle course so easily.

"A little strict, but I would say also very practical. I wonder if I should incorporate heels into my training as well?"

"Sure, but leave me out of it." Adrien remarked with a chuckle. "Ewwww, Everett is wearing a thong."

"That backside should not be seen in public." Kagami agreed. Adrien went to the little refrigerator and retrieved a couple of sodas for them to drink as the continued to watch.

"Looks like Marinette is going with Ladybug and Cat Noir." Kagami mentioned upon seeing her initial designs.

"Makes sense. She's been rescued by them a few times. "I think she even helped them out when Nathaniel was akumatized into Evilustrator." He was pretty sure that had been mentioned on the Ladyblog so he wasn't afraid it would give out his identity. As they watched Marinette scrap her ladybug idea and go with Cat Noir for the dress Adrien exclaimed, "She's switched to just Cat Noir!"

"That is too bad, I really liked her Ladybug dress." Kagami mentioned and as she saw the Cat Noir dress take shape she smiled. "Ohh, I do like that one as well however. The green she is using is beautiful. It reminds me of Cat Noir's eyes." She sounded a little swoony to him. **_She must really like Cat Noir's eyes. I wonder if it's because they are fully green? She's never complimented my eye color before. _**

"See, told you, she's been rescued so often by Cat Noir." Adrien laughed at Marinette answer. Kagami laughed with him, but then Alec spoke up.

"So it wasn't inspired by this?" They both stopped laughing when the video of Marinette kissing Cat Noir played.

"Well," started Kagami. "They make a cute couple." Adrien wasn't sure if she was attempting a bit of levity at the situation or not. Before Adrien could say anything, Nadia's voice came through the speakers.

"Are you –BEEEEP- kidding me! First she knows like every judge in this competition, and now she knows the –BEEEEEEP- local super hero enough to make out with him. This is total bull –BEEP-!"

"Oh my God!" Adrien exclaimed as things on the screen heated up with Juleka yelling at Marinette before running off and Luka chasing after her, leaving Marinette all alone. Then came the conversation with Luka and Juleka about the near kiss with Marinette.

"I made out with Nadia." Luka confessed before the angle changed to focus on Juleka.

"What did Marinette say when you told her?" She asked.

"I didn't tell her." Juleka clearly did not like her brother's answer.

"Why didn't you tell her? Were you worried about her friendship with Nadia?" She paused a moment as he nodded. "You keep putting other people ahead of yourself. You need to stop it."

"But isn't that what you love about me? Sorry that didn't sound right." Luka had clearly been trying to make a joke, but it fell flat with Juleka.

"Then it doesn't matter. She was still leading you on and she kissed Cat Noir." The scene then cut back to the contestants with Adrien's father laying down the law, so to speak, about Marinette's involvement with Cat Noir and then the introduction of the guest judge Thomas Astruc."

"Oh no." Adrien frowned.

"What is wrong?" Kagami asked.

"Marinette did the whole Cat Noir theme, and I don't think Thomas really liked Cat Noir. That was the impression I got when I was doing the voice for him." Adrien explained.

"Oh hey, I know you. You don't have any of those macaroons on you again do you?" Thomas Astruc asked from the screen.

"What?" Kagami and Adrien asked together. They'd both been to the premier of course, and knew Marinette was there serving as a waitress, but really, Thomas remembered her because of the catering? That seemed so, so stupid. When Astruc made the comment "No accounting for taste." Kagami got to her feet and yelled at the TV about it. She was perhaps the angriest Adrien had even seen her outside of fencing. When the results were announced, they were both stunned.

"The Hawk Moth inspired designs won? How the hell is that possible?" Adrien asked.

"I can not believe Marinette still made second place after all the comments the judge made about Cat Noir." Kagami added and frowned. "Maybe it is true that the guest judges are giving her a higher score because they know her."

"No, no way." Adrien remarked. "Her designs were great."

"But that Astruc man does not like Cat Noir. What are the chances she could have received a high enough score from him to make second place?"

"What are the chances that a design inspired by a super villain would get first place?" He counted.

"Touché." Kagami responded. The episode itself finished off with the less then touching, but very emotional moment between Marinette and Luka, bringing the mood in Adrien's room down even further.

"I think it would be best if I just returned home now." Kagami suggested. Adrien got up. "Do not worry, I already called for my mother's car to pick me up here." She remarked. Adrien frowned and even though she'd said it wasn't necessary, he walked her to the car. It really felt like their night had ended poorly.

* * *

**WEEK 3**

* * *

**ALYA 3**

* * *

She still couldn't get over what she'd seen. Marinette kissed Cat Noir. As much as Alya wanted to see Cat Noir win the heart of Ladybug, even with the flirting she'd done with him as Rena Rouge, Cat Noir and Marinette were also an exciting prospect to her.

"If Marinette had shown that kind of initiative with Adrien, she would have won him easily." She said to no in in particular as she rewatched that part of the show. Around the 5th time she paid more attention to the technical part of the kiss scene and realized it had been slowed down and looped. She estimated the thirty second kiss on screen only lasted maybe four seconds. She had to give props to whomever had done the editing for the show since it fooled even her at first. So the kiss really was a quick thank you, a little more passionately then normal, most likely. Luka showed up earlier then the others for your miraculous meeting.

"Bro, at least I know why you've been so moody." Nino stated when Luka showed up. Luka stiffened.

"Played the episode did they?" He asked. Nino and Alya nodded.

"If it makes you feel any better, the kiss did not last as long as it appeared to." Alya said.

"But hey, at lease you got that Nadia chick." Nino added with a grin.

"Ugh." Luka responded annoyed. "I don't want that _Nadia chick_."

"Dude you totally seemed down with that."

"How do you get that impression?" Luka asked. While they spoke Alya had cued up Luka's chat with Juleka and played it.

"That is not right." Luka protested. "There was a whole lot more said then." Alya frowned. The conversation seemed pretty natural, but there were also a lot of cuts back and forth between the two and not a continuous shot of them together.

"Now that it's out there can you tell us what happened?" Alya asked. Luka seemed to think about it and then started to talk. Alya and Nino listened intently.

"My dude, you let a girl take advantage of you." Nino laughed.

"She assaulted you." Alya remarked giving Nino a dirty look.

"Not really." Luka said.

"Did you want her to do that?"

"No."

"Did you tell her to stop?"

"Yes."

"Then she assaulted you."

"Dude, chill Alya. Girls can't assault guys like that."

"Are you serious?" Alya exclaimed.

* * *

**LUKA**

* * *

"Don't worry about it." Luka stated feeling embarrassed by the conversation. He really wished he'd never said anything to Alya or Juleka. He just wanted the whole incident to go away. Didn't they understand, it's not like Nadia could have overpowered him if he hadn't let her. He could have thrown her off him, although she probably would have gotten hurt, and that was why he didn't. It's not like physically hurt him, although she had thrown him to the bed. He did feel guilty about it and even more so when he flirted with Marinette afterwards. He should have kept his mouth shut about the incident. He didn't like thinking about it.

* * *

**MARINETTE 4**

* * *

She'd designed her modern traditional Chinese wedding attire, her Juleka inspired wedding attire and something a little more western style wedding attire, based ultimately on what Rose had described to her that she'd wanted. Marinette was rather proud of her designs. She didn't know if they would win, but she was certain the people that inspired them would love them.

She hadn't spoken with Nadia or Aiden at all the last week. They hadn't even bothered to have conversations around her like they previously had. She'd been fully excluded from everything by those two. Sure Nathalie and Alec came around to talk about her designs a little. Gabriel Agreste had not done his usual tablet thing. He wanted to be surprised.

Worse yet, with all the time she'd spent trying to make the wedding designs, she'd had little time to spend talking with the Kwamies. It left her feeling more then a little down and stressed, but she'd managed to design and make, three wedding gowns, three groom's outfits, and a couple of bridesmaid's dresses. She actually overslept on the day of the judging and had to be woken up. Nathalie did the honors when Juleka and Luka had show up for the final fitting with Marinette nowhere in sight.

Juleka expression hardened when she saw Marinette. Marinette actually flinched just a little. She hoped Juleka liked the dress. She didn't even care if she won anymore, aside from wanting to beat the other two, she really just wanted to start fixing her friendship with Juleka.

"This dress was inspired by my mother." Marinette explained, "But It'll stay on the mannequin. This one. . ." Juleka interrupted her when she saw the third dress Marinette designed.

"That looks like something Rose would love." Marinette smiled and nodded before revealing the second dress. Juleka's eyes went as wide as tea saucers when she saw the her dress, the one she was expected to wear. "It's, it's beautiful." She gasped. Marinette wanted to cry with how happy Juleka looked but managed to control herself. Luka gave Marinette a smile and a slight nod of approval. She returned that smile.

"Luka, while I help Juleka into the dress, can you put on that tuxedo there?" She pointed to one that was designed to pair with Juleka's dress.

"Yeah." He replied.

Marinette helped Juleka slip on the dress and work all the small buttons and laces. Normally they would talk about the designs and other things while Juleka dressed, but this time Juleka didn't say much. She may have loved the wedding gown designed for her, but it seemed it wasn't enough to restore their friendship. Marinette couldn't keep the frown from her features. Juleka looked up in the mirror and their eyes connected through it but she looked away almost instantly. Marinette helped her with her stockings, shoes and gloves, lacing the tops of the gloves to the bottom of the sleeves before starting on the make-up. She would have left it to Juleka, however, and she hated to admit it even to herself, but she didn't trust Juleka to do it herself with the mood she was in. Once she finished she turned to Luka who'd finished getting dressed nearly forty minutes earlier and was practically laying in a chair in the changing area.

As Marinette helped Luka to his feet and helped to fix his tuxedo, she considered making a joke about the siblings dressed as a bride and groom, but considering that Juleka had gone silent after her initial reaction to the dresses, she decided not too. Instead she helped Luka with a little make-up as well to bring out his features and make him more presentable for the show. The extra mannequins along with her models were set up on an enlarged moving platform to be rolled to the judging area. Marinette, wearing the bridesmaid gown that went with Juleka's dress, walked alongside as the platform was moved. The show had an extended time slot, allowing for the events of the last three weeks to be played before the show went live on the air for the judging. Marinette was extremely nervous.

"Oh God." She heard Nathalie cry out, also in her wedding dress from weeks ago. Marinette watched as the woman ran from the stage area to someplace in the back.

"Is everything all right?" Marinette asked as Alec stood there still looking in the direction Nathalie had run.

"Her stomach has been bothering her all day." Alec explained.

"You wouldn't believe the smell." One of the crewmembers joked waving his hand in front of his nose. Alec shot him a dirty look.

"So what about the show?" She watched as Alec's expression shifted to something akin to worry.

"We're not sure. She's already taken some medicine for it, but it hasn't kicked in yet." He shook his head. "I really shouldn't be talking to you about this." He murmured. Everyone got into position for the judging to start. Nathalie made it back in time to pick up the tablet Gabriel Agreste used to interact with the contestants. The first they looked at was Aiden.

"Very Interesting." Gabriel Agreste commented as he looked at her main dress design. Dress wasn't really the right word for it. It was more like a Tuxedo, but using the same kind of materials, beading and lacing used in a wedding dress. It was very beautiful and unique. She also had a more traditional princes style wedding dress on the side. The tuxedo to match the wedding dress was black, with white highlights made from the wedding dress materials.

Nadia's main dress was an off the shoulder design, with an over the bust corset top, and a skirt that came to a point in the back just above the ankles, and swung upwards in the front to an upside-down V in the front just above knee height.

It had a somewhat rock and roll feel to it. She also had a more traditional style wedding dress on the side.

The Rose inspired wedding dress Marinette designed was in truth the sexiest of the three, a mermaid style gown, with a long train in the back and a sweetheart neckline. The back would have been open except for the sheer but embroidered material closing it. The embroidered designs were a rose pattern and where used around the dress strategically placed for impact.

"Both of your extra wedding gowns are exquisite. " Gabriel Agreste stated as he looked them over. "Very beautiful work on your more traditional Chinese style one." He specified. "I spent a lot of time in China in my youth." Gabriel seemed slightly down when he said that and Marinette had to wonder if he'd spent his time there with Adrien's mom. She noticed Nathalie discrettly passed the tablet to Alec before slowly backing away. Once she was out of the camera's view, she kicked off her heels and ran.

"Juleka was the inspiration for my final dress." Marinette explained as Alec held Gabriel's tablet up so the camera on it could get a good look at the dress. It was a more traditional princess style wedding dress, looking like something you might see in an old Disney animated feature with its wider skirts, long train, and Queen Anne neckline. The gown itself was lavender with an embroidered lace overlay. The gloves were shoulder length and connected to the partial sleeves of the gown with ribbons. The veil matched the lace overlay and as they watched Luka lifted the veil from Juleka's face and gently rested in the back as the father of the bride would do at an actual wedding ceremony. It was something Marinette knew Luka already planned to do for Juleka for real in the future if she got married since their father had long passed away. Marinette could feel a little dampness slip from her eyes as she watched. She noticed Juleka even had a couple of tears in her eyes.

"Very nice Marinette and a bold choice of choosing a non-traditional color for your main dress.

"Thank you sir." She replied wiping a couple of tears from her eyes.

* * *

**ADRIEN**

* * *

"Poor Marinette." He said softly as he watched the way she'd been treated by the other two girl's on the show over the last few weeks.

"You could have gone to see her again as Cat Noir." Plagg suggested as the kwami held up a large chunk of his favorite stinky cheese.

"Oh yeah and let them get more footage of her and him together to use on the show. I'm sure that would have turned out well." Adrien said annoyed. When the live portion started he leaned forward on his couch a little to better pay attention. He was happy to hear the compliments his father gave to Marinette. He thought Juleka look especially beautiful in the gown. It suited her surprisingly well, even thought he would have imagined her in something with a little more gothic sexiness to it.

"And now for our final special guest judge, a woman of style who spends her lime split between the New York and Paris fashions scenes, the Style Queen herself, Audrey Bourgeois." Alec announced in an over hyped manner**_. I bet she wanted that in her contract_**, Adrien thought with a smile. The screen had split as it had often donerecently showing Marinette's reaction as the guest judge came out, since she'd been familiar with so many of them. Marinette looked strangely calm and worried both. Chloe's mother was bad with names, but not with faces, unlike his father, but he was betting Marinette didn't know that. He was aware that Marinette ended up turning down Audrey's offer to work with her after one of his father's recent fashions shows and Audrey did like to hold grudges.

"Oh my, is that Mara I see there." She held her hand over her eyes as one would do to block the sun to get a better look at something in the distance. Like Chloe, Audrey could be very dramatic.

"So you know Marinette?" Alec asked, not even looking surprised this time.

"Oh yes, Martha there turned down an offer of employment from me." She stated with a frown. "But I digress, I won't hold that against her as I judge." She had a wicked grin on her face then.

"Well I am glad to hear that Audrey." Gabriel stated from the large monitor.

"Of course, I'm just surprised you'd have her as a contestant, Gabri-kins, considering her relationship with Agreste-junior."

"What?" Adrien's father asked.

"Agreste-junior?" Alec asked confused.

"Why yes Gabri-kins, my Clarissa always complains about how she's hanging all over your child at that school they go to and trying to break up my Clara's relationship with your son." She stated. Nadia and Aiden bot looked confused as they tried to keep up with the names. "Although in the cut throat world of fashion having such a trump card would be a boon to any inspiring fashion designer. She's obviously much more calculated then I gave her credit for after turning me down."

"Is that true Miss Dupain-Cheng? Are you involved with my son?" His anger was readily apparent.

"Well, I um, we go to school together and we're just friends, nothing more." Audrey laughed at that. And Marinette looked like she was about to panic and seemed to be searching for something or someone.

"Nathalie. She's looking for Nathalie to clarify things." Adrien stated remembering what Nathalie had mentioned to him at the beginning.

"This bull shit needs to end!" the voice of Nadia cried out. "You lousy little bitch. Thinking seducing Mr. Agreste's son would help you win." There had not been enough of a delay to bleep her words.

"I didn't think you had that in you." Aiden growled. "All this time you played oh so innocent and here you were with such a devious plan."

"No, that's not true." Marinette cried out with tears in her eyes.

"Did you really think being friendly with my son would help you win this contest? Do you think I have no integrity?" Adrien's father asked or more like accused. "Not only are you disqualified but I can see litigation in your future."

"Nathalie." Marinette croaked. She was in full tears now. Luka had jumped off the platform and was rushing to get to Marinette even as some of the stage crew tried to stop him unsure of his intentions. Adrien jumped up from his couch and started to run to the door to get to his father's office to put a stop to this. As he pulled the door open he heard a number of screams from the TV and turned to see a black screen. It appeared the lights at the studio had gone out. A moment later dozens of red glowing butterflies appeared.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**NOTES:**

I know this chapter has been a long time coming. It was a hard one to figure out since I had three weeks with no show to film. I thought about doing all three as spate chapters, but then just did them as one. Plus I have to admit the last of comments or reviews on the last chapter really didn't give me the same excitement to write that I had in previous chapters.

I feel like my description of Nathalie's wedding dress does not do justice to the image in my mind. I apologize for that.

I butchered the spelling of **smiled **so bad it auto corrected to **saw mill**

Misspelled** Ladybug** as** Lazybug**

I'm writing** Kagamo **instead of** Kagami. **Whenever I see that error I image a clown, not Kagami as a clown mind you, just a random horrifying horror movie clown. BTW, not Pennywise. Pennywise's design doesn't really bother me on that level. Honestly feels kind of tame.

I don't think I've done a cliffhanger ending on a chapter in this story before. Sorry GeekQueen, I know how much you hate those. Muahahahaha.

**PEACE AND LOVE!**

**Remember reviews and notes help fuel the will to write.**


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